UNITED STATES COMMISSION OF FISH AND FISHERIES
K E\ B-A-IRD, COMMISSIONER
THE FISHERIES
FISHERY INDUSTRIES
UNITED STATES
PREPARED THROUGH THE CO-OPERATION OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES
AND THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE TENTH CENSUS
BY
GEORGE BROWN GOODE
ASSISTANT SECRETAET OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
AND A STAFF OF ASSOCIATES
SECTION V
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES
IN TWO VOLUMES, WITH AN ATLAS OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIVE PLATES
VOLUME II
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1887
ASSOCIATE AUTHOKS.
J'>"L A. ALLEN Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge.
TARI.ETON H. BEAN U. S. National Museum, Washington.
JAMKS TEMPLE. BROWN U. S. National Museum, Washington.
A. HOWARD CLARK U. S. National Museum, Washington.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH \V. COLLINS Gloucester, Massachusetts.
R. EDWARD EARLL U. S. Fish Com mission, Washington.
HKNIIY \V. ELLIOTT Cleveland, Ohio.
ERNEST IMJERSOLL - New Haven, Connecticut.
DAVID S. JORDAN Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
LUDWIG KTMLIEN Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MARSHALL MCDONALD U. S. Fish Commission, Washington.
FREDERICK MATHER N. Y. Fish Commission, Cold Spring, New York.
HARNET PHILLIPS Brooklyn, New York.
RICHARD RATIUU-N U. S. National Museum, Washington.
JOHN A. RYDEK U. S. Fish Commission, Washington.
CHARLES W. SMILEY U. S. Fish Commission, Washington.
SILAS STEARNS Pensacola, Florida.
FREDERICK W. TRUE U. S. National Museum, Washington.
WILLIAM A. WILCOX Gloucester, Massachusetts.
ill
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
VOLUME I.
Page.
List of illustrations (see also Atlas of plates) XI
PART I.— THE HALIBUT FISHERIES :
1. The Fresh-Halibut Fishery. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLIXS 3-89
2. The Salt-Halibut Fishery. By N. P. SCUDDER 90-119
TART II.— THE COD, HADDOCK, AND HAKE FISHERIES:
1. The Bank Hand-Line Cod Fishery By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS 123-133
2. The Labrador and Gulf of St. Lawrence Cod Fisheries. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS. 133-147
3. The Bank Trawl-Line Cod Fishery. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS 148-187
4. The George's Bank Cod Fishery. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS 187-198
5. The Cod Fishery of Alaska. By TARLETON H. BEAN 198-224
G. The Gill-Net Cod Fishery. By J. W. COLLINS 225-233
7. The Haddock Fishery of New England. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS 234-241
8. The Hake Fishery. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS 241-243
PART III.— THE MACKEREL FISHERY. By G. BROWN GOODE and J. W. COLLINS:
1. The Mackerel Purse-Seine Fishery 247-272
2. The Spring Southern Mackerel Fishery 273-275
3. The Mackerel Hook Fishery 275-294
4. The Mackerel Gill- Net Fishery 294-298
5. Early Methods of the Mackerel Fishery 298-300
6. Legislation for the Protection of Mackerel 301-304
7. Statistics of the Mackerel Fishery 304-313
PART IV.— THE S WORDFISH FISHERY. By G. BROWN GOODE 315-326
PAUT V.— THE MENHADEN FISHERY. By G. BROWN GOODE and A. HOWARD
CLAEK 327-415
PART VI.— THE HERRING FISHERY AND THE SARDINE INDUSTRY. By R.
EDWARD EARLL:
1. The Herring Fishery of the United States 419-439
2. The Frozen- Herring Industry 439-458
3. The Pickled-Herring Trade with Magdaleu Islands, Auticusti, Newfoundland, and Labrador 459-472
4. The Smoked-Herring Industry 473-488
5. The Sardine Industry 489-524
v
VI TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PART VII.— THE SHORE FISHERIES OF SOUTHERN DELAWARE. By J. W.
COLLINS :
Page.
1. The Squetoagne or Trout Fishery 527-S33
2. The Spot Fishery 533-538
3. The Rock and Perch Fishery 538-540
4. The Sturgeon Fishery of Delaware Bay 540-541
PART VIII.— THE SPANISH MACKEREL FISHERY. By E. EDWARD EARLL .... 543-552
PART IX.— THE MULLET FISHERY. By R. EDWARD EARLL 553-582
PART X.— THE RED-SNAPPER AND HAVANA MARKET FISHERIES. By SILAS
STEARNS:
1. The Red-Snapper Fishery 585-592
2. The Havana Market Fishery of Key West, Florida 592-594
PART XL— THE POUND-NET FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC STATES. By
FREDERICK W. TRUE 595-cio
PART XII.— THE RIVER FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC STATES:
1. The Rivers of Eastern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. By MARSHALL MCDONALD 613-625
2. The Rivers and Sounds of North Carolina. By MARSHALL MCDONALD 625-637
3. The Fisheries of Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries. By MARSHALL MCDONALD 637-654
4. The Fisheries of the Delaware River. By MARSHALL MCDONALD 654-657
5. The Fisheries of the Hudson River. By MARSHALL MCDONALD : 658-659
6. The Connecticut and Honsatouic Rivers and Minor Tributaries of Long Island Sound. By MAR-
SHALL MCDONALD 659-667
7. Rivers of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. By FREDERICK W. TRUE and W. A. WILCOX 667-673
8. The River Fisheries of Maine. By C. G. ATKINS 673-728
PART XIII.— THE SALMON FISHING AND CANNING INTERESTS OF THE
PACIFIC COAST. By D. S. JORDAN aud C. H. GILBERT 729-753
PART XIV.— THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. By LUDWIG KUMLIEN.. 755-769
Index.. 771-808
VOLUME II.
List of illustrations (see also Atlas of plates) six
PART XV.— THE WHALE FISHERY:
1. History and Present Condition of the Fishery. By A. HOWARD CLARK 3-218
2. Whalemen, Vessels, Apparatus, and Methods of the Fishery. By JAMES TEMPLEMAN BROWN 218-U9I!
PART XVI.— THE BLACKFISH AND PORPOISE FISHERIES. By A. HOWARD
CLARK 295-310
PART XVII.— THE PACIFIC WALRUS FISHERY. By A, HOWARD CLARK :m-3ia
TABLE OF CONTENTS. vii
PART XVIII.— THE SEAL AND SEA-OTTER INDUSTRIES:
Page.
1. The Fur-Seal Industry of the Pribylov Islands, Alaska. By HENRY W. ELLIOTT 320-393
2. The Fur-Sea,! Industry of Cape Flattery, Washington Territory. By JAMES G. SWAN 393-400
3. The Antarctic Fur-Seal and Sea-H'ephant Industries. By A. HOWARD CLARK 400-467
4. The Sea-Liou Hunt. By HENRY W. ELLIOTT 407-474
5. The North Atlantic Seal Fishery. By A. HOWARD CLARK 474-483
G. The Sea-Otter Fishery. By HENRY W. ELLIOTT 4H3-491
PART XIX.— THE TURTLE AND TERRAPIN FISHERIES. By FREDERICK W.
TRUE 493-504
PART XX.— THE OYSTER, SCALLOP, CLAM, MUSSEL, AND AB ALONE INDUS-
TRIES. By ERNEST INGERSOLL :
1. The Oyster Industry '. 507-565
2. The Scallop Fishery 505-581
3. The Clam Fisheries 581-615
4. The Mussel Fishery f>l.rj-tyx!
5. The Abalone Fishery tWi-Gdt;
PART XXL— THE CRAB, LOBSTER, CRAYFISH, ROCK-LOBSTER, SHIUMP,
AND PRAWN FISHERIES. By RICHARD RATHBUN :
1. The Crab Fisheries 629-658
2. The Lobster Fishery 658-794
3. The Crayfish Fishery 794-797
4. The Rock-Lobster Fishery 798-799
5. The Shrimp and Prawn Fisheries 799-M10
PART XXIL— THE LEECH INDUSTRY AND TREPANG FISHERY. By RICHARD
RATHBUN sn-sic
PART XXIII.— THE SPONGE FISHERY AND TRADE 817-841
Index. 843-881
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
* [Engraved by the Photo-Engraving Company of Now York City.]
(Page references to Volumes I and II of text.)
THE FRESH HALIBUT FISHERY.
VoL Page.
1. Halibut schooner under jib, foresail, and double-reefed mainsail; nests of dories on deck amid-
ships; rigged for fall and winter fishiug I,
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
2. Halibut schooner in summer rig, two topmasts up and all sails spread .. I,
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins. (Engraved by Photo-Electrotype Company.)
3. FIG. 1. Sectional plan of halibut schooner. (See page opposite plate for explanation) I,
FIG. 2. Deck plan of halibut schooner. (See page opposite plate for explanation) 9
Drawings by Capt. J. W. Collins.
4. Sectional plan of well-smack employed in the fresh halibut fishery ou George's Bank, 183G to 1845.
(See page opposite plate for explanation)
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
5. FIG. 1. Bait chopper
FIG. 2. Bait slivering knife
FIG. 3. Halibut killer and gob stick I,
FIG. 4. Woolen hand nipper
FIG. 5. Halibut gaff I, 1'
FIG. 0. Trawl buoy and black ball I>
FIG. 7. Canvas skate for section of trawl I>
FIG. 8. Dory scoop 10
Drawings by Capt. J. W. Collins.
6. FIG. 1. Hurdy-gurdy to haul trawls in deep water I, 10,11,10
FlG. 2. Dory showing mode of attaching and using the hurdy-gurdy I, 10, 11, 10
FIG. 3. Trawl roller attached to dory gunwale for hauling trawls in shoal water.. I, 10
Drawings by Capt. .1. \V. Collins.
7. Cutting bait and baiting trawls on halibut schooner at anchor ou the fishing grounds. . ... I, 12
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
8. Dories and crew ou the way to haul the trawls; the schooner at anchor under riding sail I, 13-10
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. "W. Collins.
9. Halibut dory and crew hauling the trawl, gaffing and clubbing the halibut I, 10
Drawing by H. VT. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
10. Dory and crew caught to leeward in a storm while hauling the trawl ; trawl-buoy and line drifted
astern of the vessel for their rescue I, 10,80
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
11. Halibut schooner at anchor on the Grand Bank in winter, riding out a gale I,
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
12. Halibut schooner "lyiug-to:) in a gale on the Bank, under riding sail and doublti-ivrfrd foresail. I,
Drawing by El. W. Elliott and Capt. J. \V. Colliua.
13. Halibut schooner tripped by a hi ;i\ \ si a
Drawing by H. TV. Elliott and C:ij>t. J. W. Collins.
14. Halibut schooner in winter, head-reaching under short sail I,
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
X LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
Vol. Page.
15. Old-atyle halibut schooner, hand-line fishing from deck, 1840 to 1850 I, 29-43
Drawing by H. \V. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
Hi. Dressing hadibut on deck of schooner for icing in the hold I, 19
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
17. FIG. 1. Halibut cutting knife I, 19
FIG. 2. Scraping knife to remove muscle and flesh from backbone after cutting I, 19
FIG. 3. Squillgee for pushing ice iu pen I, 19
FIG. 4. Oak mallet for breaking ice I, 19
FIG. 5. Oak broom for scrubbing halibut I, 19
Drawings by Capt. J. W. Collins.
18. General view of schooner discharging fare of fresh halibut at Gloucester, Mass I, 21
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
19. Hoisting halibut from hold of schooner at Gloucester, Mass I, 21
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
20. Weighing and selling halibut on deck of George's Bank hand-Hue cod schoouer I, 22
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. T. W. Collins.
21. Handling fresh halibut at Gloucester, Mass.; weighing, unheadiug, and packing in ice for ship-
ment by rail I, 22
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
22. Packing fresh halibut at Gloucester, Mass.; preparing ice with pick and grinding machine ; nail-
ing covers on the boxes; use of devil's claw I, 22
Drawings by H. W. Elliott.
THE BANK HAND-LINE AND TRAWL COD FISHERIES.
23. Old style Grand Bank cod schooner ; crew at rails hand-line fishing I, 125,126
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
24. Hand-line dory cod fishing on the Grand Bank I, 126
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
25. Deck plan of schooner Centennial, of Gloucester I, 149
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
20. Dory and crew setting cod trawls on the Bank I, 152, 17G
Drawing by ff. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
27. Underrunniug cod trawls ; two methods of setting trawl for underrunning I, 177
Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
28. Newfoundland fishermen catching squid for sale as cod bait to United States vessels I, 152,184
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
29. Dory crew of cod fishermen catching birds for bait I, 152
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
(For illustration of cod schooners discharging cargoes see Section on Preparation of Fishery Prod-
ucts.)
THE GEORGE'S BANK COD FISHERY.
30. Gloucester schooner at anchor on George's Bank in winter ; hand-Hue fishing for cod ; rigged with-
out topmasts for rough weather I, 190-193
From painting by Paul E. Collins, Boston, Mass.
31. Cod hand-line gear I, 192
FIG. 1. Lead sinker with brass horse and swivels.
FIG. 2. George's Bank gear with sling-ding, &c.
FIG. 3. Hand-Hue gear for shoal water.
Drawings by Capt. J. \V. Collins.
32. George's Bank crew hand-line fishing, gaffing fish over the rail, cutting out tongues 1, 194
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
33. Dressing cod on deck of fishing schooner I, 156, 180,
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins. 195
34. Discharging fare of George's Bank cod at Gloucester wharf. . . I, 195
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1882.
35. Splitting and washing George's Bank cod at Wonson's wharf, Gloucester, Mass I, 195
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1882.
THE COD FISHERY OF ALASKA.
36. Natives in boats fi.shing with hand-lines I, 220
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V. XI
THE GILL-NET COD FISHERY.
VoL Page.
37. Method of hauging cod gill-nets in Norway. (Explanation with plate) I, 227,228
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
:'.-'. FIG. 1. Method of attaching glass floats to top of nets I, 228
FIG. 2. Method of fastening sinkers to foot of nets. (Explanation on plate) I, 228
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
:iS). Norwegian method of sotting gill-nets at bottom. (Explanation on plate) I, 228
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collina.
10. Norwegian methods of setting nets to get position of fish. (Explanation on plate) I, 228
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
41. Norwegian method of attaching stone anchors and huoy lines to end of gangs of nets. (Explana-
tion on plate) I, 228
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
42. Way in which cod gill-nets are set at the bottom on the east coast of Newfoundland. (Explana-
tion on plate) I, 230
From Bulletin TJ. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
43. The ordinary way in which cod gill-nets are set floating at Newfoundland. (Explanation on
plate) I, 230
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt J. W. Collins.
44. Way in which cod gill-nets are set for underrunning in Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts. (Explana-
tion on plate) I, 232
From Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, Vol. I. Drawing by Capt. J. W. Collins.
45. Uudeminning cod gill-nets in Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts I, 232
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. ~W. Collins.
THE INSHORE COD FISHERY.
46. Block Island boat and crew hand-lining for cod
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
47. Pink stern schooner anil boats hand-line tishing off Cape Ann, Massachusetts
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
THE HADDOCK FISHERY.
48. Baiting trawls on deck of Gloucester haddock schooner Mystic, Captain McKiuuou I, 237
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
4!'. Baiting trawls at night in hold of haddock schooner I, 237
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1882.
.">0. Setting haddock trawls from schooner under sail; set at right angles to course of the vessel I, ij:1.-1
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. 3. W. Collins.
THE HAKE FISHERY.
51. Fishermen's dories on the rocks at Folly Cove, Cape Ann, Massachusetts I, 241
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
52. Fishermen in dory hauling trawl ; a dogfish caught I, 242
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
53. Overhauling trawls in fish-house at Rockport, Mass I, 242
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
THE MACKEREL PURSE-SEINE FISHERY.
54. Mackerel schooner under full sail, bound out I, 248
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collina.
.V>. The cabin of mackerel schooner John D. Long of Gloucester, Mass I, 247
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
~.u'. Deck plan of mackerel schooner. (Explanation on plate) I, 248
Drawing by (.'apt. J. W. Collins.
~>7. Seine boat ; purse davit and blocks ; oar-rests; purse weight and purse blocks; bow fittings.... I, 250
5.-1. Seine boats in winter quarters at Gloucester, Mass I, 250
From photograph by T. \V. Smillie.
."•'.'. FIG. 1. Diagram showing the different, sections of a purse-seine I, 252
FIG. 2. Diagram showing the form of a purse-seine when spread in the water I, 252
Drawings by Capt. J. W. Cull in-.
xii LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
Vol. Page.
60. Mackerel schooner cruising in Massachusetts Bay; lookout at foretop on the watch for schools .. I, 255
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
61. Lookouts aloft on schooner on the watch for mackerel I> 255
Drawing hy H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
62. Mackerel seine-boat and crew "paying out the seine" - I. 256
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
03. Mackerel seine-boat and crew pursing the seine I, 256
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. "W. Collins.
04. Mackerel schooner with crew at work bailing mackerel from the purse-seine I, 258
Drawing hy H. W.Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
65. Mackerel schooner with pocket or spiller shipped at sea . . . , I, 265
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt J. W. Collins.
66. Mackerel schooner just arrived from cruise ; crew dressing and salting the fish I, 207
From photograph bv T. W. Smillie.
67. Culling.and packing mackerel at Portlaud, Me I, 267
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
THE MACKEREL HOOK FISHERY.
68. Surf-fishing in boats for mackerel I, 275
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
09. Mackerel jigs and jig molds. (Explanation on plate) I, 278
70. Jigging mackerel over the vessel's rail I, 284
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt J. W. Collins.
71. Gaffing mackerel over the vessel's rail I, 279
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
72. FIG. 1. The old method of choppiug mackerel bait I, 279-283
FIG. 2. The modern mackerel bait-mill I, 279-283
Drawings by H. "W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
73. Throwing bait to toll mackerel alongside the vessel I, 284
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
7-1. Deck scene on mackerel hand-line schooner; jigging mackerel, slatting in the barrel, throwing
toll-bait I, 284
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
75. Mackerel-packing on shipboard I, 2S7
FIG. 1. Splitting, cleaning, and washing.
FIG. 2. Pitching, salting, and plowing.
Drawings by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
THE MACKEREL GILL-NET FISHERY.
76. Mackerel drag-nets set at night off coast of Maine I, 2D4
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J W. Collins.
77. Cape Cod mackerel drag-boat lying to at night I, 294
From sketch by J. S. Ryder.
78. Dory fishermen picking mackerel gill-nets I, 294
From photograph by T. W. Smillie. "
THE MACKEREL FISHERY— EARLY METHODS.
79. Old style Chebacco boats drailing for mackerel I, 299
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
80. Angling with poles for mackerel from an old Noank, Conn., sloop — I, 299
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt J. W. Collins.
STATISTICS OF THE MACKEREL FISHERY.
81. Diagram showing the catch of mackerel by citizens of Massachusetts between the years 1804 and
1881, inclusive I, 312
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part IX, 18S1.
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V. Xlll
THE SWORDFISH FISHERY.
Vol. Page.
82. Sword fishermen in position for action I, 318
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part VIII, 1880.
83. Methods of swordfish capture in the Mediterranean Sea I, 318
From Report TJ. S. Fisli Commission, Part VIII, 1880.
THE MENHADEN FISHERY.
84. Map illustrating geographical distribution and periodical movements of the menhaden ; also
the locations of the fishing grounds and oil and guano factories in the year 1878. (No
factories now in Maine; many in Chesapeake Bay) I, 331,343
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part VI, 1878.
85. Menhaden steamer Joseph Church approaching oil and guano factory at Tiverton, R. I I, 334
From photograph hy T. W. Smillie.
86. Menhaden steamer William Floyd cruising for fish I, 334
From sketch hy Capt. B. F. Conklin.
87. Lookouts at mast-head of menhaden steamer watching for schools of fish I, 338
From sketch by J. S. Ryder.
88. Fleet of menhaden 'steamers en route to fishing grounds on south side of Long Island, N. Y I, 338
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
89. Fleet of menhaden steamers on the fishing grounds ; seining crews at work I, 338
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conkliij.
90. Crew of menhaden steamer surrounding a school with purse-seine I 337-339
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
1)1. Pursing the seine around a school of menhaden I, 337-331)
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
92. Menhaden crew at work ; pursing of the seine nearly completed I, 33'.)
From sketch by H. W. Elliott, 1878.
93. School of menhaden surrounded with purse-seine and fish striking the net I, 339
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
94. Bailing menhaden from purse-seine into steamer's hold I, 337, 340
From sketch by J. S. Ryder.
95. Menhaden steamer bailing in the catch I, 340
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
96. Haul-seine fishing for menhaden at Long Island, 1790 to 1850. Setting the seine I, 341, :UK
371
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
97. Haul-seine fishing for menhaden at Long Island, 1790 to 1850. Hauling thes eiue on the heach
by horse-power I, 341,308,
371
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
98. Haul-seine fishing for menhaden at Long Island, 1790 to 1850. Taking out the fish I, 341,368,
371
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
99. Menhaden purse and mate boats and two carry-away hoats starting for the fishing grounds I, 334,368
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
100. Menhaden purse and mate boats I, 334,368
FIG. 1. Going down to the fish.
FIG. 2. Working to windward of the fish.
From sketches by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
101. Purse and mate boats encircling a school of menhaden ; carry away boats in waiting I, 334,368
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
102. Menhaden boats and crew pursing the seine; the fish striking the net I, 334,368
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
103. Menhaden sloops cruising for fish. One of the sloops is for the crew to live on and to tow the
seine-boats; the others to carry fish to the factory I, 331,368,
375, 376
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
104. Menhaden sloops and steamers in Gardiner's Bay, Long Island I, 399
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
105. Menhaden carry-away sloops bailing in the catch - I, 376,37?
From sketch by Capt B. F. Conklin.
106. Menhaden fishermen signaling to shore-crews the approach of a school of fish I, 367
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
Vol. I'ago.
107. Crew of menhaden schooner, in old style seine-boat, throwing the purse-seine I, 336,338
108. Carry-away boat with haul of menhnden on the way to oil factory I, 373
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
109. Meudadeu steamer discharging its catch at oil and guano factory, Tiverton, K. I I, 337
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
110. Gang of Portuguese in hold of menhaden steamer filling the hoisting tubs I, 337
From photograph by T. "W. Suiillio.
111. Fish pens on top floor of menhaden factory ; the fish are led through a trough to the cooking
tanks I, 337
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
113. Menhaden steamer discharging its catch at oil and guano factory. Incline railway to carry Msh
to cooking tanks I, 337
From sketch by Capt. B. F. Conklin.
113. Menhaden floating factory. An old vessel fitted as an oil factory and moved from place to place
near the fishing grounds I, 345,378
Drawing by H. L. Todd.
114. Slivering menhaden for bait
From Report TJ. S. Fish Commission, Part V, 1877.
llii. Menhaden oil and guano factory at Milford, Conn.; steamers unloading fish at the wharf: inclino
railway to carry fish to cooking tanks on upper floor of factory; oil tanks and storage
sheds in foreground; platform for dry ing scrap in rear of factory, connected with building
by elevated railway I, 342
From a photograph.
(Interiors of oil factories will be illustrated in Section on Preparation of Fishery Products.)
THE HERRING FISHERY AND SARDINE INDUSTRY.
116. Herring schooner bound for Wood Island, Maine ; outfit of salt and barrels on deck I, 426
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
117. Herring pinkey bound for the fishing grounds ; nets hangiug over bowsprit and stern ; net dories
on deck I, 4'JO
From photograph by T. W. SmiUie.
118. Torching at night for spnrliug or small herring in Ipswich Bay, Massachusetts I, 428
From sketch by J. S. Ryder.
111). Torching herring at night near East port, Me I, 429
From photograph by T. W". Smillie.
120. Fishermen mending lierriug gill-nets at House Island, Casco Bay I, 430
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
121. Irish fishermen of Boston picking their herring nets in Gloucester Harbor. The typical " Irish
market boat" I, 430
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
122. Cape Ann herriug fishermen landing their gill-nets after a night's fishing I, 430
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
123. Fishermen in quoddy boat hauling herring gill-nets I, 430
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. "W. Collins.
THE SMOKED HERRING INDUSTRY.
124. Boat landing; fish houses; herring smoke-house ; fisherman's dwelling and farm I, 470
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
125. Old style herring smoke-house (without roof ventilators) at Lubec, Me I, 476
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
12(>. Herring " horse" loaded with smoked fish on sticks I, 478
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
127. Herring smoke-house at Eastport, Me. ; sinoke ventilators on roof ; sticks of herring inside I, 4&n
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
THE SAKDIXK INDUSTRY.
128. Shore herring weir near Easlpnit, Me. ; the common form of brush weir I, 501
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
129. Bar herring weir near Eastport, Me. ; escape of fish prevented by receding tide I, 500
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
LIST Ol'1 PLATES TO SECTION V. XV
Vol. Page.
130. Channel herring weir near Eastport, Me. ; controls channel between islands I, 501
From photograph by T. W. Sinillie.
131. Section of ballasted weir near Eastport, Me. ; for rocky bottom I, 502
From photograph hy T. W. Sinillie.
132. Fishing a herring weir at low tide, near Eastport, Me I, 503
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
133. General view of sardine cannery at Eastport, Me I, 508
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
134. View of sardine cannery at low tide, showing the employe's at work I, 508
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
135. Herring boat landing fish at a sardine cannery, Eastport, Me I, 50!)
From photograph hy T. W. Smillie.
lob'. Sardine steamer for collecting herring and towing weir boats I, 510
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
KIT. Children al sardine cannery cutting oft" the heads and tails and cleaning small herring for can-
ning I, .MO
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
]'•'•*. Washing, draining, and flaking herring at sardine cannery, Eastport, Me I, 5)'.!
From photograph by T. \V. Smillie.
13SI. Spreading herring on flakes for drying in the sun or in an oven I, fill
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
140. Herring drying on flakes in the sun ; landing, cleaning, washing, &c., at sardine cannery, East-
port. Me '. I, 513
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
141. Fish-drying frames on roof at sardine cannery, Eastport, Me I, 512
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
1 1','. Frying room in sardine cannery, East port, Me. ; herring frying in pans of oil I, ,M4
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
143. Packing room at sardine cannery, Eastport, Me. ; packing herring-sardines in tin boxes I, f>lo
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
144. Soldering room at sardine cannery, Eastport, Me. ; solderers sealing the cans I, 51(i
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
145. Bathing room at sardine cannery, Eastport, Me.; bathing vats at the left ; men at right venting
cans I, 51?
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
146. Making sard ine cans at Eastport, Me I, 518
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
THE SPANISH MACKEREL FISHERY.
147. Methods of setting Spanish mackerel gill-nets I, 546
FIG. 1. " Straight set."
FIG. 2. Circle set.
FIG. 3. Crooked set.
FIG. 4. "Hook set."
FIG. 5. "Tset."
FIG. 6. " Square set."
FIG. 7. "Triangle set,"
FIG. 8. " Harpoon set."
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Tart VIII, 1880.
148. Chesapeake Bay Spanish mackerel pound-net I, 548
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part VIII, 1880.
THE MULLET FISHERY.
1 I'J Camp of mullet fishermen, North Carolina I, 5C2
From a photograph.
THE POUND-NET FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC STATES.
150. Diagram of pound-net at Bald Head, Maine. (By Capt. J. W. Collins) I, 598
151. Diagram of pound-net at, Small Point, Maine. (By Capt. J. W. Collins) I, 598
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
Vol. Page.
152. FIG. 1. Diagram of pound-net at Wood's Holl, Mass I, 601
FIG. 2. Diagram of heart or ponnd net as set in Rhode Island I, 604
FIG. 3. Diagram of slat weir at East Dennis, Mas8 I, 599
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part II, 1872-'73.
153. FIG. 1. Diagram of pound-net at Waqnoit, Mass I, 601
FIG. 2. Diagram of heart or pound net at Quissett Harl'-r, Massachusetts I, 601
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part II, 1872-73.
THE RIVER FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC STATES.
154. Fishing with hack and square traps in the Savannah River I, 620
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
155. Shad gill-nets in the Eclisto River, South Carolina I, 623
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
156. Fish-nets in the Pedee River I, 6'J4
From a photograph.
157. A sturgeon camp on Wiuyah Bay, South Carolina ; catching sturgeon in gill-nets; the pound for
keeping fish alive ; unhcading ; saving roe for caviare I, 025
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
158. Drag-net fishing in the Neuse River, North Carolina; " footing up the net " I, 628
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
159. Skim-net fishing for shad in the Nense River, North Carolina I, 629
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
1GO. Haul-seine fishing at Sutton Beach, Albemarle Sound, North Carolina ; boating the seine I, 6o<>
From a photograph.
161. Haul-seine fishing at Sutton Beach, Albemarle Sound, North Carolina; a large haul of alewives. I, 636
From a photograph.
162. Shad-fishing in Albemarle Sound ; laying out the seine I, 630
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
163. Shad-fishing at night on the Susquehanna River; laying out the gill-net I, 652
From a photograph.
104. Diagram of salmon weirs in PenoLscot River, Maine I, 680
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part II, 1872-73.
165. Plan of salmon-net, Peuobscot Bay, Maine I, 682
From Report CT. S. Fish Commission, Part II, 1872-73.
166. Ideal perspective of salmon-net in 1'enobscot Bay, Maine I, 682
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, Part II, 1872-73.
167. Diagram of shad weir, Kennebec River, Maine. (Explanation on page opposite plate) I, 684
Ki8. Bag-net fishing for smelts uuder the ice, Penobscot River, Maiue. (Full explanation on page
opposite plate) I, 691
From sketch by C. G. Atkins. •
THE PACIFIC COAST SALMON FISHERY.
169. Salmon cannery at Astoria, Oreg. '. I, 745
From a photograph.
THE FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES.
170. Kelley's pound-net near Carpenter's Point, Lake Erie, for capture of whitefisb, herring, &c.
(For description of parts see plate) I, 758
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
171. Lifting the pot at Kelley's pound-net, Lake Erie I, 760
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
17'J. Green May pound-net oft' Ingersoll's Fishery I, 758
Drawing by L. Kumlien.
173. " Driving the pound." Stake-boat and crr\v nil' Marblehead, Lake Eric, driving stakes for pound-
net. At close of season the other end of the same boat pulls the stakes I, 760
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
174. Deck plan of stake-boat. Stake-puller of Lake Erie. (For description of parts see plate) I, 760
175. Pouud-uet at Detroit River I, 758
From sketch liy L. Knmlirn.
17(>. Bailing out the pot of pound-net at Detroit River I, 758
From sketch by L. Kumlien.
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
Vol. Page.
177. Camp at South Manitou Island, Lake Michigan. Fishing-boats; gill-nets on reel ; shanty for
cleaning fish .- j( 762
From a photograph.
178. Gill-net drying on reel I, 764
From a photograph.
179. Type of fishermen's summer house. Seine shed, tarring-box annexed I, 765
Drawing by H, W. Elliott, 1882.
180. Hauling in herring-seine at Herbert's Fishery, Detroit River. Inclosure for keepingtinh alive.. I, 7C6
Sketch by L. Kumlien.
181. Pond fishery, Detroit River; inclosure for keeping fish alive I, 766
Photograph by U. S. Fish Commission.
182. Overhauling the seine at Grassy Island Fishery, Detroit River . I, 766
Photograph by U. S. Fish Commission.
THE WHALE FISHERY.
183. Map of the world on Mercator's projection, showing the extent and distribution of the present
and abandoned whaling grounds. (Prepared by A. Howard Clark in 1680) II, 7-23
184. FIG. 1. The sperm whale (Pltyseter macrocephalus').
FIG. 2. The California gray whale (Ehachianectes glaucug).
FIG. 3. The North Pacific humpback whale (Meyaptera versabilia).
FIG. 4. The sulphur-bottom whale (SibbaMius sulfureus).
FIG. 5. The finback or Oregon tinner (Balamoptera velifera).
FIG. 6. The Pacific right whale (Eubalaiiia cullamach).
FIG. 7. The bowhead whale (I>al(e»a mysticetus).
From Report U. S. Fish Commission, 1876. Natural History in Section I of this report.
185. Whaling vessels fitting out at New Bedford wharves II, 232
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
186. Whaling schooner Amelia, of New Bedford, Mass II, 232
Drawing by C. S. Ealeigh.
187. Steam whaling-bark Mary & Helen, of New Bedford, Mass, (afterwards the Rodgers, of the Jean-
nette search expedition) IT, 236
Drawing by C. S. Ealeigh.
188. Deck plan and side and interior plan of whaling-schooner Amelia, of New Bedford, Mass. (Ex-
planation on page opposite plate) II, 234
Drawings by C. S. Ealeigh.
189. Deck plan and side and interior plan of whaling-bark Alice Knowles, of New Bedford, Mass.
(Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 234
Drawings by C. S. Kaleigb.
190. Starboard quarter of a whale-ship, showing the manner of transporting the captain's boat and tho
spare boats. (Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 243,244
191. Deck view of whale-boat equipped with apparatus of capture and boat gear. (Explanation on
page opposite plate) II, 241,258
Drawing by C. S. Kiileigh.
192. Side and interior plan of wh;ilo-l>oat equipped with npp.arat.iis of capture, &c. (Explanation
on page opposite plate) II, 241,258
Drawing by C. S. Ealeigh.
193. Articles of whale-boat gear '. II, 240,25^
FIG. 1. Lantern keg containing matches, bread, &c.
FIG. 2. Boat compass.
FIG. 3. Water keg.
FIG. 4. Piggin for bailing water.
FIG. 5. Waif for signaling.
FIG. 6. Tub oar crotch.
FIG. 7. Double oar-lock.
FIG. 8. Large line in line-tub.
FIG. 9. Knife to cut line when fonL
FIG. 10. Row-lock.
FIG. 11. Hatchet to cut line when fonl.
FIG. 12. Grapuel to catch line.
FIG. 13. Drag or drug to retard whale.
FIG. 14. Canvas nipper to protect hands from running lina
SEC. V, VOL. II II
LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
VoL Page.
194. Whalemen's harpoons II, 250
FIG. 1. Improved harpoon or toggle-iron now in general use.
FIGS. 2, 3. First form of toggle-iron made by Lewis Temple.
FIG. 4. One-flued harpoon with hinged toggle.
FlO. 5. One-flued harpoou.
FIG. 6. Two-fined harpoon.
FIG. 7. Toggle-iron invented by I'rovincctown whaleman; not in use.
195. English harpoons II, 250
FIG. 1. Old-style hand-harpoon ; now little used.
Fio. 2. Hand-harpoon in general use about 1857.
FIG. 3. Hand-harpoon now in general use on Scotch whalers.
Drawings by Capt. William Adams, Dundee, Scotland.
196. FIG. 1. English harpoon-gun and gun-harpoon now in use on Scotch whalers II, 252
FIG. 2. An early form of English whaliug-guu II, 252
FIGS. 3, 4,5. Mason and Cunningham mounting boat-gun; a recent invention. (Explanation
with plate) II, 252
ICY. FiG. 1. Pierce and Cunningham darting-gun ; a combined harpoon and lance used largely by
Arctic whalemen. (Explanation with plate) II, 254
FIQ. 2. Cunningham and Cogan gun ; length, 33 inches; weight, 27 pounds; used by Arctic steam
whalers with bomb lance II, 253
FIG. 3. Brand muzzle-loading whaling-gun and bomb lance II, 253,254,
255
198. FIGS. 1,2,3,4. Pierce boruh-lance. (Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 254,267
FIG. 5. Pierce and Eggers breech-loading gun. (Explanation on page opposite plate j II, 253,^67
199. Whaling rocket. (Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 254
200. Boat fastened to whale by harpoon and line ; killing the whale with bomb lance II, 262,207
From painting by J. S. Ryder.
201. Natives harpooning the beluga, or white whale, at Cook's Inlet, Alaska II, 61
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1883.
202. Aleuts planting glass, ohsidian, and jade darts in a school of humpback whales at Akoon Island,
Bering Sea II, 61,62
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1883.
203. Makah Indians whaling at entrance to Fuca Straits II, 62
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1883.
204. Cutting in the bowhead and sperm whales. (Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 277,286
Drawings by Capt. C. M. Scammon and Capt. W. M. Barnes.
205. FIG. 1. Boat spade to stop running whale II, 204
FIG. 2. Narrow cutting spado or thin boat spade II. 'J-l
FiG. 3. Flat or round shank spade II, 281
FiG. 4. Cutting spade for scarfing blubber II, 281
FiG. 5. Cutting spade for leaning up II, 2£1
FIG. 6. Half-round spade II, 281
206. Cutting blocks and tackle. (Explanation on page opposite plate) II, 277-281
207. A ship on the north west coast of America cutting in her last right whale II, 277
Drawing by H. W. Elliott from a French litho-^rapb designed by B. Russell, of .New r.i-dford.
208. "Bailing in the case" of a sperm whale II, 277
Drawing by H. W. Elliott from a French lithograph designed by B. Russell, of New Bedford.
209. FiG. 1. Blubber mincing-knife.
FIG. 2. Boarding-knife.
FIG. 3. Monkey-belt.
FIG. 4. Wooden toggle.
FIG. 5. Chain-strap.
FIG. 6. Throat-chain.
FIG. 7. Fin toggle.
FIG. 8. Head-strap.
FIG. 9. Blubber-hook.
210. Whale-ships at New Bedford wharf; ship hove down for repairs ; oil-casks II, 289,290
From photograph by U. S. Fish Commission.
THE BLACKFISH AND PORPOISE FISHERY.
211. Capture of a school of blackfish in Cape Cod Bay II, 295,307
Drawing by H. W. Elliott from a sketch by J. S. Ryder.
LIST OF TLATES TO SECTION "V.
VoL Page.
212. Indian porpoise hunters of Passamaqnoddy Bay. Canoe, rifle, and lance for capture of porpoise. II, 308
From jihntu^ruph by T. W. Sinillie.
21H. Psssainaciuoddj Hay Indians lancing and securing a porpoise........... II, 308
From photograph by T. W. Suiillie.
THE PACIFIC WALRUS FISHERY.
214. Innuits of Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, surprising and harpooning a herd of walruses II, 313
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
215. The walrus "coup." Eskimo lancing the exhausted walrus, Saint Lawrence Island, Bering
Sea. Mahlemut dresses, bidarka, baidar, &c., of Alaska .- II, 313
Drawing by H. W. Kllioit.
216. Iiiunits of Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, hoisting a walrus II, 313
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA.
217. Map of Saint Paul's Island, Pribylov Group II, 322
Surveyed and drawn, April, 1S73, to July, 1874, by Henry \V. Elliott
218. Map of Saint George Island, Pribylov Group II, 322
Surveyed and drawn, April, 1873, to July, 1874, by H. W. Elliott
-11). Profiles of the east coast of Saint Paul's Island II, 322, IMG
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
220. Ordinary attire of nieir on the killing ground and of women and young children in the village. .-II, » 320
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
221. The north shore of Saint Paul's Island, looking W.SW. from the summit of Hutchiusou's Hill.. II, 336
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
222. The North Rookery, looking west to Starry Ateel, Saint George Island, village of Saint George. II, 348
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
223. Natives selecting a " drive." View overhauling grounds of "holluschickie" or bachelor seals at
English Bay, looking west from Tolstoi sand-dunes II, 363
Drawing by II. W. Elliott
224. Natives driving the "holluschickie. " The drove passing over the lagoon flats to the killing
grounds, under the village hill, Saint Paul's Island II, 363
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
225. The killing gang at work. Method of slaughtering fur-seals on the grounds near the village,
Saint Paul's Island II, 365
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
226. Preparing fur-seal- ski us for shipment II, 369
FIG. 1. Interior of salt-house, Saint Paul's Island ; natives salting and assorting the pelts.
FIG. 2. The flensed carcass of a fur-seal and the skin as taken therefrom.
FIG. 3. A bundle of skins ready for shipment.
THE ANTARCTIC SEA-ELEPHANT FISHERY.
227. Sketch map of Herd's Island. Antarctic Ocean. Lat. 53° 10' S., Long. 73° 30' E II, 419
228. Working sea-elephants at northeast point, Herd's Island II, 419, 435
Drawing by H. "W. Elliott after Capt. H. C. Chester.
229. Stripping sea-elephant blubber and rolling it in barrels to try-works ; southwest beach, Herd's
Island II, 419,435
Drawing by H. W. Elliott after Capt. H. C. Chester.
THE SEA-LION HUNT ON PRIBYLOV ISLANDS, ALASKA.
230. Natives capturing the sea-lion ; springing the alarm n, 468
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1873.
231. Shooting the old males; spearing the surround; the drive II 468,469,
471
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1872.
232. Natives corraling sea-lions at the Barrabora, under Cross Hill, northeast point Saint Paul's
Island II, 469
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
233. Oil-pouches of sea-lion stomach; seal meat frame; bidarrah covered with sea-lion skins;
sealer's houses II, 471,473
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
XX LIST OF PLATES TO SECTION V.
THE SEA-OTTER FISHERY OF ALASKA.
Vol. Page.
234. Aleuts sea-otter hunting south of Saanak Island ; the bidarkies waiting for the otter to rise
again II, 490
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
THE TURTLE FISHERY.
235. Diving for loggerhead turtle; Morehead City, N. C II, 495
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1883.
THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.
236. Oyster dredging steamer at work in Long Island Sound II, 523,535
237. Chesapeake Bay oyster dredges II, 523
From specimens iu H. S. National Museum.
238. Oyster tongs and nippers II, 551
•J.!'.i. FIG. 1. lut-Iosed dock for oyster vessels at Perth Ainboy, N. J II, 546
FIG. 2. "The Creek" at Key port, N. J., with oyster boats, skiffs, and scows II, 546
Drawings by Ernest IngersolL
240. A Lake's Bay shipping-house and " platform " for freshening oysters, Smith's Landing, Lake's
Bay, New Jersey II, 546
Drawing by Ernest IngersolL
241. Oyster-bar*ges at foot of West Tenth street, North River, New York City II, 555
Drawing by Ernest Ingersoll.
242. Opening or shucking oysters in Baltimore packing-house II, 560
From a photograph.
243. Baltimore oyster-shucking trough. Oyster knives of diverse patterns, used in New England,
New York, and the Chesapeake region II, 559
THE CLAM INDUSTRY.
211. Clam-diggers' boats and shncking-honses at Esses, Mass II, 585
From photograph by T. "W. Suiiliie.
245. Opening or shucking clams at Essex, Mass II, 565
From photograph by T. W. Siuillie.
THE CRAB FISHERY.
246. Negroes trawling for crabs on the Virginia and North Carolina coasts II, 633
Drawing by H. W. Elliott
THE LOBSTER FISHERY.
247. Dory fishermen hauling lobster pots off Cape Ann, Massachusetts II, 686, 677,
773
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
248. Lobster fishing-boats of Bristol, Me II, 669,677,
759
Drawing by H. W. Elliott and Capt. J. W. Collins.
249. Lobster Cove at Lanesville, Cape Ann, Massachusetts, showing fishermen's boat-houses and gear. II, 666, 773
From photograph by T. W. Smillin.
•jr.O. Summer village of lobster fishermen at No Man's Land, Massachusetts II, 781
Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1882.
251. Lobster fishermen's gear at No Man's Land, Massachusetts. (Explanation on plate) II, 665,672,
781
Drawing by H. W. Elliott.
252. Lobster-boiling apparatus at Portland, Me II, 684
From photograph by T. W. Smillie.
THE FLORIDA SPONGE INDUSTRY.
253. Sponges as lauded by the fishermen at Key West, Fla., and ready for sale II, 826
From a photograph.
254. Sponge-loft at Key West, Fla II, 828
From a photograph.
255. Sorting, trimming, and baling sponges at Key West, Fla II, 828
PART XV.
THE WHALE-FISHERY.
1.— HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OP THE FISHERY.
By A. HOWARD CLARK.
1 . General review,
a. Whaling-grounds.
3. Early history of boat-whaling in New England.
4. Boat-whaling during the presmt century.
5. Development of the sperm-whale li.ihery.
(i. Development of the North Pacific and Arctic whale-
fisherv.
7. History of the American whale-fishery from 1750 to
1815.
8. The whale-fishery of Provincetown.
9. .Statistical review of the American whale-fishery.
10. List of whaling voyages from 1870 to I860.
11. Review of whale-fishery by foreign nations.
2.— THE WHALEMEN, VESSELS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS OF THE FISHERY.
By JAMES TEMPLEMAN BROWN.
1. The whalemen.
2. Whaling vessels.
3. The whale-boat.
4. Apparatus of capture.
5. Methods of capture.
6. The products and their preparation.
7. Homeward passage and arrival.
8. The whalemen's share or lay.
SEO. v, VOL. n-
THE WHALE-FISHERY
1.— HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FISHERY
By A. HOWARD CLARK.
1. GENERAL EEVIEW.
THE WHALING FLEET. — The American whale-fishery in 1880 employed one hundred and
seventy -one vessels, aggregating 38,63:;. MS tons, and valued with outfits at $2,891,650. Additional
capital, aggregating $1,733,000, was invested in wharves, store-houses, and oil refineries. The-
number of men employed on the vessels was 4,198 and in shore whaling about 250. The largest
vessel was the steam bark Belvidere. 440.12 tons, and the smallest one employed in ocean whaling
was the schooner Union, 66.22 tons. Most of the schooners and the smaller vessels of other classes
were employed in Atlantic Ocean whaling, while the liirgest and best equipped craft were in the
Pacific and Arctic fleets. The distribution was as follows : Five vessels in Hudson Bay, one hun-
dred and eleven in the North and South Atlantic, twenty-five in Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean,
twenty-two in the Pacific Ocean, and eight hauled up at home ports.
The greater number of vessels belonged in Massachusetts, one hundred and twenty three
hailing from New Bedford, twenty from Provincetown, seven from Edgartown, six from Boston,
two from Westport, two from Million, and one from Dartmouth. New London, Conn., owned five
vessels and five hailed from San Francisco. Cal. The interest of San Francisco in the whale-
fishery cannot be measured by the number of vessels owned there, for almost the entire North
Pa. ific and Arctic fleets are accustomed t<> make that place a fitting port and the headquarters
for reshipment of nil and bone to the Atlantic sea-board.
The Provincetoun fleet was composed almost entirely of schooners employed in Atlantic
Ocean whaling. The whaling grounds of Hudson Kay and Davis Strait are favorite resorts for
New London whalemen, while New Bedford vessels are scattered over all the seas.
Besides the vessel fishery then- is a boat or shore whaling industry, which at times is quite
profitable. The principal stations are on the California coast and are manned mostly by Portu-
guese. On the coasts of Washington Territory and Alaska whales are taken by the Indians and
Kskimos. The only points on the Atlantic coast where boat-whaling is carried on are at Prov-
ineetown and one or two places in North C.'aiolina; at Provincetown the business in some years is
of considerable importance, as in 188(1, when 4S \\hales were taken, yielding 29,925 gallons of oil,
and 8,750 pounds of bone. The principal species taken at the Atlantic stations is the fin bacfc
4 HISTOEY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
whale, and on the California coast the gray whale. Neither 6f these species yields bone of great
value and both furnish but a limited quantity of oil. Humpback, sulphur-bottom, and right
whales are occasionally captured at the California and Alaskan stations, but seldom on the
Atlantic coast.
THE PRODUCTS.— The products of the fishery in 1880 were valued at $2,323,943, and included
37,614 barrels of sperm oil and 34,626 barrels of whale oil ; 458,400 pounds of whalebone, worth
$907,049, and $5,465 worth of ambergris and walrus ivory. The Pacific-Arctic grounds were the
most productive, yielding oil and bone worth $1,249,990. From Atlantic Ocean grounds oil and
bone were taken worth $908,771.
The principal products of the whale-fishery are oil and bone, the former obtained from the
blubber and the latter from the jaws of the animal. The minor products are ambergris from sperm
whales and guano and glue made from bones and other refuse matter. Oil as it conies from the
animal is classed as sperm oil and whale oil, the former being derived exclusively from sperm
whales, and the latter from the right whale and other varieties, as also from blackfish and porpoise.
Walrus oil, taken by the northern fleet, is also generally classed as whale oil. Sperm oil is worth
about double the value of other whale oil. Northern whale oil is slightly higher than southern
oil and blackfish higher than either. From sperm oil is made refined oils for lubricating, and
spermaceti used chiefly for candles. The jaws of blackfish and porpoise yield a very superior
oil, employed for lubricating watches and clocks.
Crude or unrefined sperm oil is little used, though about half the entire production of ordinary
whale oil is used in a crude state in the manufacture of cordage.
The oil is prepared at the refineries and sent to market under various trade names, as Spring-
mal-e natural. Spring-make bteached, Natural winter, Bleached winter, and Double-bleached winter.
These names indicate the grades of oil and the processes of refining. The results of refining
sperm oil are three or more grades of oil and two qualities of spermaceti. From whale oil are pro-
duced several grades of oil, whale-foots, which is a tallow-like substance, and oil soap used by
scourers.
The refining of whale oils is carried on almost exclusively at New Bedford, which port is
practically the headquarters 'of the American whaling industry. When the business was
extensive there were several large refineries in active operation, but for some years past three
establishments have been enough to care for the entire production.* The process of refining varies
according to the kind of oil, yet in some essentials the methods are alike for all.
When landed from the vessels the oil is in wooden casks, varying in size from a few gallons to
a hogshead or more in capacity. If not sold at once to the refiners it is stored on the wharves or
in sheds, being covered with seaweed and boards to protect the barrels from leakage by exposure
to the sun. It sometimes remains in this condition for many months or even years.
At the refinery the oil is drained into vats and the casks rinsed out with hot oil, recoopered,
and made ready for another cruise, or sold to be sent to Africa for shipping palm oil.
In the refining process the oil is first heated, when pieces of blubber and foreign matter settle,
and the clear oil is again put in casks to be packed in ice pits and subjected to the freezing
process, which partially congeals or granulates it. The next step in the refining is to strain the
oil through woolen cloths to separate the foots, and it is then put in cotton bags, and submitted
to heavy pressure, which further separates the oil from the solid matter, leaving in the bags, if
sperm oil, spermaceti, which is further heated and refined, or in the case of whale oil leaving
whale-foots, extens' ;vly used by tanners for softening leather. The various grades of oil are
obtained by further heating and pressing, and by the admixture of chemicals to clarify or bleach it.
* Refineries have recently (1885) been established at San Francisco, Cal.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 5
Sperm oil is used chiefly as a lubricator, for which purpose it is unsurpassed. Whale oil is
employed in niaiiy industries, but chiefly by tanners iu the preparation of leathers. Blackflsh oil
is specially good in preparing morocco. Whale oil, mixed with black lead and paraffine oil, is
used for lubricating car axles and wheels.
Spermaceti is used in medicine, in laundries, and for other minor purposes, but is used
chiefly for the manufacture of caudles ; a patent candle of superior quality is made from paraffine
and spermaceti mixed.
Whalebone requires comparatively little preparation to fit it for use by whip-makers, dress-
makers, and numerous other tradesmen. It is received from the vessels in bundles of slabs vary-
ing from a foot to 15 feet iu length. These slabs are scraped, steamed, cut, and split into suitable
sizes for use.
The whalebone workers of the United States recognize five varieties of bone ; (1) Arctic, from
the Bowhead or Polar whale; this is the largest bone, and is used principally in the manufacture
of whips and dress bone ; (2) Northwest, which is the heaviest bone, and is used for whips and
canes; (3) South Sea, which is lint' and short, used for whips and dress bone; (4) Humpback,
short and black, specially suitable for corsets ; (5) Finback, short and coarse, used for corsets.
Some slabs of bone have longitudinal streaks of white or light yellow. The white portion is of
greater value than the black, and is thought by the workers to be caused by disease.
Ambergris, when pure, is worth more than its weight in gold. It is used in the preparation
of fine perfumery, having the property of thoroughly and permanently uniting the ingredients.
It is found in the intestines of the sperm whale, and is a very uncertain article. Many whalers
have cruised the seas for years and never found an ounce, while fortunate ones hare secured a
hundred pounds or more of the precious substance iu a single year. It is supposed to be a
product of a disease in the animal similar to indigestion. This theory of its origin is supported
by the fact that particles of cuttle-fish, the chief food of the sperm whale, are often found in the
ambergris, and the location of the substance in the intestines also supports this theory. In 1858
a New Bedford vessel secured GOO pounds of ambergris, worth $10,500; in 1878 the Adeline Gibbs,
of New Bedford, brought home 136 pounds that sold for $23,000. The total quantity received
from the American whaling fleet from 1836 to 1880 was 1,667| pounds.
A full discussion of ambergris and the manner of obtaining it, is given in the section of this
report treating of the Preparation of Fishery Products.
DECLINE OF THE FISHERY.— Starbuck, in 1877, thus discussed the causes of the decline of the
whale-fishery :
"On the 1st of January, 1877, the entire fleet was reduced to 112 ships and barks, and 51 brigs
and schooners, having a total capacity of 37,828 tons.*
" It will be well to see to what causes this decline is attributable. Many circumstances have
operated to bring this about. The alternate stimulus and rebuff which the fishery received as a
short supply and good prices led to additions to the fleet and an overstock and decline in values,
were natural, and in themselves probably formed no positive impediment. The increase in popu-
lation would have caused an increase in comsumption beyond the power of the fishery to supply,
for even at the necessarily high prices people would have had light. But other things occurred.
The expense of procuring oil was yearly increasing, when the oil-wells of Pennsylvania were opened,
and a source of illumination opened at once plentiful, cheap, and good. Its dangerous qualities
at first greatly checked its general use, but these removed, it entered into active, relentless com-
petition with whale oil, and it proved the more powerful of the antagonistic forces.
* The lowest ebb was reached on the 1st of January, 1875, when the fleet consisted of 119 ships and barks, and 44
brigs and schooners, with a capacity of 37,733 tons.
6 lll«TOi;V AM) METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
"The length of voyages increased from two years for a cargo of sperm and from nine to fifteen
mouths for a cargo of whale oil to four years to till the latter, while the former was practically
abandoned as a separate business* after it became necessary to make voyages of four, five, and
even six years, and then seldom return \\ith a full cargo. As a matter of necessity the fitting of
ships became far more expensive, a rivalry in the furnishing adding perhaps considerably to the
outlay. Vessels were obliged to refit each season at the various islands in the Pacific, usually at
the port of Honolulu when passing in its vicinity, and the bills drawn upon the owners on these
occasions were so enormous as to call forth loud and frequent complaints; and in later years the
only available western fishery was in the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans, where, disasters were
the rule and immunity from them the exception, thereby incurring, when the vessels were not lost,
heavy bill for repairs, besides the ordinary ones of refitting.
••Again, during the later days of whaling, more particularly immediately after the discovery
of the gold mines in California, desertions from the ships were numerous and often causeless,
generally in such numbers as to seriously cripple the efficiency of the ship. In this way large
numbers of voyages were broken up and hundreds of thousands of dollars were sunk by the owners.
During a portion of the time many ships were fired by their refractory and mutinous crews, some
of them completely destroyed, others damaged in amounts varying from a few hundred to several
thousand dollars. Crews would apparently ship simply as a cheap manner of reaching the gold
mines, and a ship's company often embraced among its number desperadoes from various nations,
fit for any rascality which might best serve them to attain their end. They took no interest in
the voyage, nor cared aught for the profit or loss that might accrue to the owners. In order to
recruit, it became necessary, particularly during the ten years next succeeding the opening of the
gold mines, to offer heavy advance-wages, and too often these were paid to a set of bounty -jumpers,
as such men were termed in the Army during the late war, who only waited the time when the ship
made another port to clandestinely dissolve connection with her and hold themselves in readiness
for the next ship. Unquestionably there were times when men were forced to desert to save their
lives from the impositions and severity of brutal captains, but such cases were undoubtedly very
rare. Formerly the crews were composed almost wholly of Americans, but latterly they were
largely made up of Portuguese shipped at the Azores, a mongrel set shipped anywhere along the
western coast of South America, and Kanakas shipped at the Pacific islands. There were times,
when the California fever was at its highest, that the desertions did not stop with the men, but
officers and even captains seemed to vie with the crew in defrauding the men from whose hands
they had received the property to hold in charge and increase in value.
"Another source of loss was, strangely enough, to be found in the course of the consular agents
sent out by our Government to protect the interests of our whalemen. Many and bitter were the
complaints at the extortionate charges and percentages demanded by many of these men.t
"As another important source of the decline in this business must be regarded the scarcity and
shyness of whales. Prior to the year 1830 a ship with a capacity for 2,000 barrels would cruise
in the Pacific Ocean and return in two years with a cargo of sperm -oil. The same ship might go
to Delago or Woolwich Bay and fill with whale-oil in about fifteen mouths, or to the coast of
* Always excepting, of course, Atlantic whalers. Sperm-whaling in th'e Atlantic has always been pursued by the
bulk of the Provincetowu vessels and by quite a ileet of schooners ami brigs from other ports. There isan occasional
revival of this pursuit in larger vessels at intervals of a few years, at present some of the most successful voyages
being made by ships and barks cruising for sperm whales in this oc<
tin many cases justice (f) semis to U:i\ v been meted more in accordance -with the requirements of the income of
our representatives than witb ihose of ab^traet. right, and it lias happened that the case of an arbitrary, cruel cap-
tain against, Mime unfortunately weak and impecunious sailor has l>rm decided on the time-honored (among barba-
rians) maxims that "might makes right," and "the king can do no wrong."
THE WHALE FISHERY. 7
Brazil and return hi iiine mouths full of the oil peculiar to the whales of those seas; but, as has
been previously remarked, this has all changed, and the length of the voyage has become entirely
disproportioned to the quantity of oil returned.
"Briefly, then, this is the case. Whaling as a business has declined: 1st, from the scarcity
and shyness of whales, requiring longer and more expensive voyages; 2d, extravagance in fitting
out and refitting; 3d, the character of the men engaged ; 4th, the introduction of coal oils.
"Of late years sperm-whaling in the Atlantic Ocean has been revived with some success, but
the persistency with which any Held is followed up makes its yield at least but temporary. It
may perhaps be a question worthy of serious consideration whether it is policy for the United
States Government to introduce the use of coal oils into its light-house and similar departments,
to replace the sperm oil now furnished from our whaling ports, and thus still further hasten the
ultimate abandonment of a pursuit upon the resources of which it draws so heavily in the day of
its trouble,* or whether this market — the only aid asked from the Government — may still continue
at the expense of a few dollars more per year."t
2. WHALING-GROUNDS.:):
DISTRIBUTION OF WHALES. — A whale-ship leaving her home port mans her mast-head as
soon as she leaves soundings, and from that time is in constant hope of seeing whales. There are
certain portions of the ocean where whales abound, and many large tracts where vessels rarely
make a stop; still it is not unusual even in the more barren spaces to hear from aloft the welcome
cry "there she blows." Many of the grounds where vessels were formerly very successful are now
entirely abandoned and others are but seldom visited. There are now no sperm whalers from the
United States on the Indian Ocean or North Pacific grounds, and very few cruising in the West
Pacific Ocean, but nearly all of the vessels at present engaged in this branch of the fishery resort
to the grounds in the North and South Atlantic and the eastern part of the South Pacific Oceans.
At an early period in the development of the whale fishery there was little difficulty in
securing a cargo in a short time. Whales were abundant near shore and in very many parts of
the ocean. They were taken in great numbers by the Dutch and by the English at Spitzbergen
and off the east coast of Greenland, upon grounds that have not been frequented for many
years.§ Later they were abundant in Davis Strait, where they were pursued by a considerable
fleet of vessels. They are still taken there in limited numbers by a fleet of about a dozen Scotch
steamers. Toward the close of the last century began the discovery of prolific grounds for right
whales in the South Atlantic, and of the famous South Pacific sperui and right whale grounds. In
the present century important fields have been discovered in the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans,
* The London Mercantile Gazette, of October 22, 1852, said: "The number of American ships engaged in the
Southern whale-fishery alone would of themselves be nearly sufficient to man any ordinary fleet of ships-of-war
which that country might require to send to sea." Instances are not wanting, indeed, where whalemen have under-
taken yeoman's service for their country. Thus, in November, 1846, Captain Simmons, of the Magnolia, and Capt.
John S. Barker, of the Edward, both of New Bedford, hearing that the garrison at San Jos6, Lower California, was
in imminent danger, landed their crews and marched to its relief. Nor were their good services toward foreign gov-
ernments in peace less houorable to the country than in war, for when the Government buildings at Honolulu were
burning some years ago, and entire and disastrous destruction threatened, American whalemen rushed to the rescue
and quenched the flames, already beyond the control of the natives. During the rebellion, of 5,956 naval officers,
Massachusetts furnished 1,226, Maine 449, Connecticut 264, New Hampshire 175, Rhode Island 102, and Vermont 81.
t Report U. S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries for 1875-'76.
{Special acknowledgments are duo Capt. H. W. Seabury, of New Bedford, Mass., and Capt. William M. Barnes,
of Nashua, N. H., for information on this subject.
$ The east coast of Greenland has recently again become a cruising ground for the whalers of Norway and Scotland.
8 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
among which are the Japan, Northwest, arid Okhotsk grounds, now well nigh abandoned. The
Arctic grounds north of Bering Strait were first visited in 1848 by the Superior, under Captain
Eoys, and these grounds have since been by far the most important for the production of whale,
bone and a superior quality of whale oil.
RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS GROUNDS. — The relative importance of the various
oceans to the whale-fishery during recent years is shown by the following facts: Of the sperin
oil taken by the American whaling fleet from 1870 to 1880, 55 per cent, was from the North and
South Atlantic grounds; 33 per cent, from the Pacific; and 12 per cent, from the Indian Ocean.
Of the whale oil taken during the same period, 58 per cent, was by the North Pacific fleet from the
region north of the fiftieth parallel, including the Arctic, Okhotsk, and Bering Seas; 24 per cent,
by vessels cruising in the North and South Atlantic; 10 per cent, from the Pacific grounds; 5 per
cent, from the Indian Ocean ; and .'1 per cent, from Hudson Bay, Cumberland Inlet, and Davis Strait.
Of the whalebone .secured in ihe .same time 88 per cent, was by the North Pacific fleet; 5 percent,
by the Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet fleet; 4 per cent, from the North and South Atlantic
grounds ; and 3 per cent, about equally divided between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The num-
ber o! !'vo\;i ^es commenced by United Star.es vessels from 1870 to 1880 was 810, which includes
the A\. ;ie whalers annually relit! ing- at San Francisco and other ports. Of these voyages, 382
were ,-, ;he North and South Atlantic, 254 to the Arctic, Okhotsk, and adjacent grounds, 98 to the
Pacific, 45 to the Indian Ocean, and 31 to Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet.
(«) SPEEM-WHALE GROUNDS.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SPERM WHALES. — The sperm whale is very widely distrib-
uted in the oceans of the temperate and the tropical zones. They have been taken as far south as
56° south latitude iu the Atlantic and in the Pacific, and as far north as 56° 12' in the North.
Pacific. Early authors mention them as numerous on the coast of Greenland, but Beale* says
that, they are seldom or never seen there by recent navigators. They are generally taken off
soundings, though they are sometimes abundant in comparatively shallow water, especially along
the edge of the ocean banks. Within the limits included between 30° north and 30° south latitude
they are generally of smaller size than in higher latitudes. There are certain cruising-grouuds
especially frequented by vessels in search of sperm whales, and these will be described in order
beginning with those in the Atlantic Ocean, proceeding then to the Pacific and Indian Ocean
grounds.
The Atlantic grounds, from which more than half the entire production of sperm oil is taken,
are visited by both large and small vessels, the latter cruising chiefly north of the equator and
remaining out about nine months, while the former make voyages lasting one, two, or even three
years, cruising over various parts of the North and South Atlantic and sending oil home from the
Azores, St. Helena, and other convenient ports. Vessels visiting the Pacific and Indian Oceans
are usually barks and ships, and fit out for long voyages.
NORTH ATLANTIC GROUNDS.— Profitable sperm whaling has been found in the Caribbean
Sea, off Chagres, Blauquilla, and in other parts of the sea ; in the Gulf of Mexico, particularly in
latitude 28° to 29° north, longitude 89° to 90° west ; in various parts of the West India seas,
especially iu the Mona Passage and off the coasts of Cuba, Porto Rico, and St. Domingo, north of
the Bahama Islands, in latitude 28° to 29° north, longitude 79° west; on the " Charleston Ground,"
iu latitude 29° to 32° north, longitude 74° to 77° west, and on the " Hatteras Grounds," extend -
* BKALE, THOMAS: Natural History of the Syerrn Whale, London, 1836, p. 88. He says that sperm whales are
found from 60° uorth to 60° south latitude.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 9
ing along the edge of the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras.* Vessels cruise on the more southern
of the above grounds during the winter mouths and early spring, and work north and east as the
season advances. Their next resorts, after leaving the Charleston Ground, are in latitude 36°
north, longitude 74° west ; latitude 32° north, longitude 68° west ; latitude 28° to 33° north,
longitude 48° to 57° west, and from latitude 33° to 45° north, longitude 50° to the east of the
Azores.t
Among the favorite resorts in the North Atlantic are the "Two Forties" aud "Two Thirty-
sixes," the former being in latitude 40° north, longitude 40° west, and the latter in latitude 36°
north, longitude 36° west. Vessels cruise here throughout the summer and fall months and often
into December. The whales taken are of all sizes. Ships of late years have cruised from lati-
tude 43° to 46° north, longitude 25° to 32° west, also from latitude 48° to 50° north, longitude
21° to 24° west; and on the "Commodore Morris Grounds,"}: in latitude 52° to 54° north, longi-
tude 23° to 25° west. Sperm whales are often seen and taken near the Azores. Good cruising
places, known as the " Western Grounds," are situated in latitude 28° to 37° north, longitude 40°
to 52° west. Another resort is the " Steen Ground," in latitude 31° to 36° north, longitude 21C
to 24° west, where vessels cruise from August to November. Sperm whales are sometimes found
quite numerous along the southern coast of Portugal and Spain from Cape St. Vincent to the
Straits of Gibraltar; also near the southern side of the island of Tenerifle; north and west of the
Cape Verde Islands during the winter months; from latitude 10° to 14° north, longitude 35° to
to 40° west in March. April, and May, and in latitude 5° to 7° north, longitude 18° to 20° west,
during the winter season. Good whaling has also been found in the Gulf of Guinea near the
Island Fernando Po; also on the " Cornell Ground," in latitude 5° to 9° north, longitude 22° to
27° west.§
SOUTH ATLANTIC GROUNDS. — On the west side of the South Atlantic, sperm whale grounds
were formerly found on and near the Carabellas banks in latitude 17° to 19° south from the coast
of Brazil to longitude 35° west ; also in about latitude 23° south, longitude 39° to 42° west. The
smaller class of vessels cruised on these grounds, capturing mostly large bull whales, while large
* " Iu IS:;?," says Captain Atwood, of Proviucetown, "the 'Edward and Rienzi'was bought for blackfisbing,
and went on the ground south of the George's Bank and towards Cape Hatteras. No whaling vessels had ever been
there before, and she found sperm whales abundant, and since that time the ' Hatteras Ground' and the ' Charleston
Ground ' farther south, have been favorite cruising places for the Provincetovvn fleet."
t On the northern edge of the Grand Banks and the Gulf Stream where the Labrador current meets the Stream,
making an eddy and a strong current, sperm whales were reported in the months of September, October, and November.
The geographical position of this spot, as given by Messrs. Swift & Allen, of New Bedford, is latitude 41° to 48° N.,
and longitude 45° to 50° W. Care should' be taken to keep a medium temperature of water. — J. T. BROWN.
I This ground was first visited by the American fleet about the year 1859 and was then called the Camilla Ground,
after the bark Camilla. It has been cruised upon by many of the best vessels of the sperm-whale fleet.
§ Captain Tripp, of the bark Pioneer, makes the following condensed report of a cruise for sperm whales in 1873
and 187 1 mainly in the North Atlantic.
On July 12 he found sperm whales in latitude 38° 05' N., longitude 67° 45' W., aud on the 30th killed a large
whale in latitude 35° 45' N., longitude 45° 50' W. August 4 he again saw sperm whales in latitude 35° '27' N., longi-
tude 4.V 1C' W. On the 27th took a large one in latitude 34° 37' N., longitude 39° 41', W., and found them on the 31st
in latitude 34° 37' N. and longitude 39° 41' W. On September 12 he killed two whales iu latitude 35° N. and longi-
tude 39° 50' W. He crossed the equator, but again worked to the northward and finished his cruise.
On March 'J9 he killed two whales in latitude 13° 58' N., longitude 37° 28' W., and another on April 28 in latitude
13° 20' N. and longitude 44° 25' W. Sperm whales were seen on the 1st, 2d, 3d, aud 4th of May in the latitudes of 13°
36', 13° 34', 13° 28', and 13° 22', and in the longitudes of 44° 51', 44° 34', 44- 24', aud 44° 20", respectively, but no catches
were made ; on the 5th he killed four whales in latitude 13° 28', longitude 44° 28'; two on the 8th iu latitude 13° 18'
and longitude 44° 49'; three on the 10th iu latitude 13° 08', longitude 44° 'J.V, and four on the 12th in latitude 13° 56',
and longitude 45° 22'. On the )3th sperm whales were seen iu latitude 13° 08' and longitude 45° 14', but none were
killed. From that time on he had "greasy luck." On the 19th he killed three whales in latitude 13° 06', longitude
46° 25'. One was killed July 21 iu latitude 34° and longitude 44° 12' ; two on August 1 in latitude 34° 45' ; one on the
10th in latitude 34° 13', longitude 40° 17' ; two on the 20th in latitude 31° 26', longitude 50°, and one large one on
the 25th in latitude 31° and longitude 50°. He cruised in this locality fourteen months and obtained 1,100 barrels of
sperm oil.— J. T. BROWN.
10 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
vessels tbuud good whaling on the '-River La Plate Ground" extending from latitude 30° to 40°
south, and from 30 to 250 miles off-shore. The season here was from September to May, and the
whales taken were of all sizes. A few vessels continue to cruise on all these grounds, meeting
with moderate success. Large whales have also been found quite plenty in latitude 45° to 47°
south, longitude 00° to 60° west, where ships cruise from November to May.
Passing across to the east side of the ocean we find good whaling grounds along the coast
of Africa, also around the islands of Ascension and St. Helena. The principal resorts are in
latitudes 4° to 23° south, longitude 9° to 10° west; around St. Helena; latitude 34° south,
longitude 0° to 7° west ; also a few degre es east of the meridian iu the same latitude; and on the
"Carroll Ground" iu latitude 32° south, longitude 7° east. The time for cruising on the more
southern of the above grounds is from September to May, and farther north during the whole
year.
SOUTH PACIFIC GROUNDS. — Sperm whales are often seen off Cape Horn, and it is the opinion
of most whalers that they pass from one ocean to the other in their migrations. Captain Seabury
writes that he has himself on two occasions taken large sperm whales within sight of land off this
cape. The grounds in the Pacific have been exceedingly profitable. From the time of their dis-
covery in 1788, by Nan tucket whalemen in an English whale ship, dates the great prosperity of
the sperm-whale fishery which reached its climax in the year 1837.
One of the most important and extensive grounds in the South Pacific lies off the coast of Chili,
extending from latitude 35° to 40° south, and from the coast 200 miles off shore. Within these
limits there are some specially favorable spots, as around the island of Huafo, near the south end
of Chiloe Island, off Mocha Island, and off the port of Talcahuano. Around the islands of Juan
Fernandez and Masafuero, and from these islands to longitude 00° west, are good grounds. Ships
cruise here and farther south from September to May, and sometimes throughout the year, find-
ing mostly large whales.
Passing farther north we come next to the Archer Ground, which lies in latitude 17° to 20'
south, longitude 84° to 90° west, where ships cruise throughout the year, capturing large whales.
From the Archer Ground, all along the coast to Panama Bay, in latitude 8° north, from the
shore to 90° west longitude, many sperm whales have been taken. Along the coast from latitude
12° to 18° south, also from latitude 10° to 14° south, longitude 80° to 911° west, were formerly
noted cruising places. The latter is called the "Callao Ground," and is still visited by a few ships
that cruise throughout the year, taking medium sized bull whales, yielding from 40 to GO barrels
of oil each.
One of the most important grounds iu the South Pacific extends from latitude 5° south to
2° north, and from the coast of Peru to longitude 93° west, embracing the Galapagos Islands.
" Most of the whales found here," says Captain Seabury, "are cows and calves, though occasionally
a large bull whale is captured. The large whale is quite often found 3 or 4 miles from the school
of small ones. After striking > of a school the o;hers sometimes slop around the fast whale.
which is called 'bringing to' or ' brought to,' when each of the lour boats may fasten to a whale.
More frequently the rest start off after the first boat strikes and are pursued by the boats,."
Many ships have cruised on the Offshore Ground, extending from latitude 3° 30' to 5° 30'
south, and from longitude 100° to 120° west. The season here lasts during the whole year, and
the whales taken are of all sizes, though the majority are young bulls. These whales go in schools,
and the larger the size of whale the, smaller is the number. This ground was discovered in
the year 1818 by Capt. George, \V. (larduer iu the ship Globe, of Nantucket. The whalers had
been cruising along the coast of South America when Captain Gardner concluded to find new
THE WIIALK FISHERY. 11
fields, and in his search he cruised over the ground extending from latitude 5° to 10° south, and
from longitude 105° to 125° west, where whales were found in great numbers. This new field
was christened the li Offshore Ground," and continues to this day a favorite resort of 1'anlic
whalers.
On a belt of ocean from latitude 2° north to 2° south and extending across the Pacific from
the west coast, of South America, large numbers of sperm whales have been taken, especially
from longitude 110° to 130° west, and also around Jarvis Island and the King's Mill Group. The
whales taken near the equator are generally of the smaller kind.
Vessels have cruised with some success around the Marquesas Islands, Low and Societies,
Navigator's Islands, the Fiji group, and around New Zealand and Australia. The most noted
part of the New Zealand Ground is 20 miles southeast and southwest from French Rock, which
lies in about latitude 31° 30' south, lougitiule 179° west. Other resorts included on the New Zea-
land Ground are on the Vasques Ground, iu latitude 36° south, longitude 165° west ; from lati-
tude 36° to 38° south, longitude 104° to 166° west ; around the Three Kings, in latitude 32°
south, longitude 170° to 175° east; 40 to 80- miles off shore east-northeast from Mouganui and
east-southeast from Cape Bret; around Stewart's Island, the Snares, and Chatham Islands.
Sperm whales have sometimes been found abundant all around New Zealand. Large schools of
great sperm whales abounded here more than on any other whaling ground. Captain Seabury says
that " several ships often get into a school of these whales at one time, each vessel taking
one or more whales that yield 100 barrels of oil. The season for cruising at the extreme south is
in the summer months, or from September to April, and on the northern ground vessels cruise
throughout the year. Hurricanes are sometimes encountered off the Navigator's Islands and French
Rock, so that only the best of vessels are sent there."
Sperm whales were once abundant all the way across from New Zealand to Australia, and
around Tasmania ; also along the shores of Australia, and near Wreck Reef, around New Ireland,
the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Kermadec Islands, New Caledonia, and New Georgia. Banker
Bay, New Ireland, was a noted place.
NORTH PACIFIC GROUNDS. — The most important ground in the North Pacific for many years
was off the coast of Japan, first visited by whaling vessels in 1820. Around the Bonin Islands, in
latitude 27° north, longitude 140° west, was also a noted ground. Vessels cruised all the way
from latitude 2S° to 32° north, and longitude 165° west to 165° east. The Japan Ground
included the region from the coast of Japan southeast to Bonin Islands, across to 165° west
longitude. The season was from May to November, during which time great quantities of oil were
frequently taken. The whales were mostly large bulls, and many of them very old. as was shown
by their teeth.
Capt. William M. Barnes, formerly of New Bedford^, writes : ''There is now (1881) not a single
sperm whaler in the North Pacific Ocean, and in certain parts of.it, as on the old Japan Ground, the
Arctic cruisers in crossing ha ve lately seen sperm whales in increasing numbers." During the winter
season in the northern hemisphere the Arctic whalers occasionally spend a few months among the
islands of the Western Pacific, but otherwise these large grounds are now seldom resorted to by
whalemen. In many cases the sperm whalers find it difficult to fill their casks with sperm oil, and
so assist in making up their cargo by spending a few mouths in " humpbackiug."
Sperm-whaling was formerly carried on with good success around the Ladrone Islands, also
in the Sooloo or Mindora Seas, and around the East India Islands, where ships continued to cruise
until within about three years. The whales were generally very small, and mostly cows with
calves. A great deal of calm weather and strong currents are found around these islands and seas.
12 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
We corne now to the grounds on the eastern side of the North Pacific. In former years many
ships cruised around Cape San Lucas,.near the Gulf of California, and along the coast of Lower
California from 10 to 50 miles off shore. Whales of large size were taken here in the winter months
by vessels that had spent the summer on the Japan Ground. Around the Maria Islands, near San
Bias, on the Mexican coast, whales were quite often found ; also in the Bay of Panama from the
coast to 90° west longitude, and farther west in the ocean from latitude 4° to 8° north, longitude
100° to 110° west. In the vicinity of Owhyhee and other parts of the Sandwich Islands vessels
met with fair success.
INDIAN OCEAN GROUNDS. — The principal resorts of vessels in this ocean were off' Port Dauphin
and around Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel ; around the islands of Mauritius and Bourbon
and the island of Roderique ; around the Amirante Group, and Seychelle and Comore Islands ; off
Zanzibar and along the east coast of Africa to the Red Sea; off the island Socotra; along the
Arabian coast ; around the Laccadive Islands and the island of Ceylon. Other resorts are along
the west and south coasts of Australia, especially in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwiu and off Shark's
Bay, on the ground extending from latitude 20° to 23° south, longitude 107° to 110° east. From
March to July ships cruise several degrees off shore to the west of Australia and from October
to May near the land. The number of American whaling vessels visiting the Indian Ocean has
.been gradually diminishing for several years, and in 18SO not a single vessel from the United
States went there for sperm oil. A fleet of about eleven sail of vessels, belonging at Tasmania, is
engaged mostly in sperm whaling, and some years they meet with good success.
SPEEM- WHALE GROUNDS IN 1840. — The principal grounds visited by sperm whalers about
the time of the greatest prosperity in this fishery are thus described by Commander Wilkes, of the
United States Exploring Expedition :
" The following embraces all the different grounds in the Pacific visited by our whalers :
" (1) The on-shore ground; that includes the whole extent of ocean along the coast of Chili and
Peru from the island of Juan Fernandez to the Galapagos Islands.
" (2) The off-shore ground ; being the space between latitude 5° and 10° south, longitude 90°
and 120° west.
" (3) In the neighborhood of the Hawaiian Islands.
" (4) In the neighborhood of the Society Islands.
" (5) In the neighborhood of the Samoan Group.
"(6 In the neighborhood of the Fiji Group.
" (7) In the neighborhood of the King's Mill Group.
" (8) Along and to the south of the equator, from the coast of South America to the King's Mill
Group.
" (9) Across the South Pacific, between the parallels of 21° and 27° south.
" (10) Across the North Pacific, between the parallels of 27° and 3.5° north.
"(11) In the neighborhood of the east coast of New Zealand.
<;(12) In the middle ground between New Holland and New Zealand.
" (13) The coast of Japan, and between it and Bonin Islands.
'•(14) The northwest coast of America.
" (15) Coast of California.
"These, it will be seen, embrace a large field, and it might be supposed that a ship could
hardly miss finding the animals. Such, however, is not the case. A vessel may visit all these
places, and yet return home a ' clean ship,' if she happened to be out of season. It appears from
experience that whales, in their migrations congregate in the above-named places at certain times
THE WHALE FISHERY. 13
of the year, and those who are acquainted with the business endeavor to be early on the cruising
grounds. I shall now point out the times, according to the best information, at which the whales
visit the several grounds, and, although not a whaler, I hope to £ive such information as may be
useful to this class of my countrymen.
" For convenience of description, the cruising-grounds may be considered as included within
four sections or belts.
" These belts are from 20 to 25 degrees of latitude iu width.
" The first of which I speak is that between the equator and the northern tropic ; the second,
between the tropic and 50° north ; the third, between the equator and the southern tropic and
latitude 50° south.
" Within the tropics whales are almost always to be met with. There are, however, particular
places within this zone where they chiefly congregate. Whales are found iu the first belt on the
north side of the equator, to the southward of the Sandwich Islands, and thence westward as far
as the Mulgrave Islands, for the greater part of the year ; but the only spot or space they are
known to abound in at any particular season, within this belt is to the westward of the Galapa-
gos; they pass and repass over the rest of this space in their migrations, and may generally be
found near to or around the small islands.
" In the second belt they range from the coast of Japan to the northwest coast of America and
California; this they frequent from May till November. In the month of July they are found off the
Boniu Islands, and between them and the coast of Japan. They frequent the space lying to the north-
ward of the Hawaiian Islands, and comprehended between the parallels of 28° and 35° north ; and
within the meridians of 145° and 156° west, from June to October ; and resort to the northwest
coast of America in August and September, and to that of California in November and January.
" The third belt comprises the ocean from the coast of South America to the King's Mill Group,
including the Marquesas, Society, and Friendly Islands, the Samoan and Fiji Groups. Within
these are spaces known as the on-shore and off-shore grounds. The latter the whalers frequent
from November to February, and along this belt they are found until the mouths of July and Au-
gust, by which time they reach the King's Mill and Fiji Groups. There are, however, stragglers to
be met with in this space during all seasons.
"The fourth belt extends from the southern tropic to the latitude of 50° south. The most
profitable time for cruising within it is in the months of March, April, and May, to the eastward
of New Zealand. After that date, along and between the parallels of 22° and 28° south, from the
coast of New Holland to that of South America. The portion of sea between New Holland and
New Zealand is called the 'middle ground,' and is frequently found very profitable.
"From an examination of the particular localities iu which whales are found most at certain
seasons, and connecting these with my own observations on currents, I am induced to believe the
places of their resort will point more correctly to the neutral points or spaces of no current, than
any other data that we yet possess.
"These must necessarily become the rendezvous, or feeding-places, of these animals. The
determination of these points will, therefore, throw additional light on the systems of currents iu
the ocean, by pointing out the neutral spaces. The chief resort of whales will be seen on the map
at one view ; and when these are connected with the currents shown to exist by the observations
of the expedition and others, they will be found to correspond in a remarkable manner with the
neutral spaces.
" I have myself paid much attention to acquiring information in relation to the position of
these grounds from the masters of whale-ships, but have usually found their reports at variance
14 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
one with another, and they have sometimes differed as much as 5 degrees in assigning their limits.
Their position, no doubt, varies much in different years ; but even this will not explain all the
discrepancies of the statements. t
" If we examine the seasons of the appearance of whales at certain islands, they will generally
be found to be between the beginning and the end of the summer of the climate, during which
time animal life is most prolific, and the food of the whale consequently abounds near the par-
ticular group. I have frequently been told, and it is generally believed, that whales are partial to
warmth, and frequent few places outside the tropics. This, if true, would be singular enough;
but the main reason for their frequenting the summer seas at particular seasons is the procure-
ment of food, which is there to be found in greater abundance ; and there appears to be little
doubt that iu migrating these animals move with the currents until they find their food in plenty,
and then continue in such locality until it is exhausted.
"A number of instances are known, * * in which, at certain seasons, strong currents have
been experienced iu places where three months afterward they were found to have ceased altogether,
or even to have changed their direction. I have now particular reference to the northwest coast.
"Having pointed out the different belts iu the Pacific, I will now refer to the localities in the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans where the sperm-whale fishery is most successful.
" These, in like manner, are found to correspond, and are connected with the obstructions of
the submarine currents, or the places where, from opposing currents, they become lost.
" In the Atlantic Ocean : (1) Off the Azores or Western Islands ; (2) off the Cape de Verdes;
(3) north of Bahama Banks ; (4) Gulf of Mexico; (5) Caribbean Sea; (G) to the eastward of the
Windward Islands ; (7) north coast of Brazil ; (8) south coast of Brazil ; (9) Carrol Ground, or a
space of ocean lying between St. Helena and Africa.
" In the Indian Ocean : (1) Off the south end of Madagascar, and between it and Africa ; (2)
off the north end of Madagascar; (3) the coast of Arabia; (4) west coast of Java; (5) northwest
coast of New Holland ; (6) south coast of New Holland, and between it and Van Diemen's Land.
" The periods of time allotted to these fisheries coincide with the time at which it might be
expected that the food of the whale would be most plentiful if brought by the polar streams.
"The Atlantic fishery is, for the most part, carried on in a smaller class of vessels than those
used iu the Pacific ; the voyages are of less duration, and less capital is therefore required in this
business than the other. In speaking of the cruisiug-grounds, I shall follow the order in which
they are visited.
" The first in point of time is that near the Azores. This ground does not extend more than
200 miles from these islands, and lies principally to the southwest of them. Here whales are
found during the summer mouths, and as late as October. These islands, it will be well to
remark here, lie in the route of the great north polar stream, and form an obstruction to its passage;
consequently the food is arrested iu its progress, and is accumulated here.
" The next ground visited is off Cape Blanco and the Cape de Verdes, and it is also searched
by the outward-bound ships of the Pacific fleet. The whalers of the Atlantic next pass to the north
coast of Brazil, in the months of October, November, and December, aud thence to the Brazil
Bank, and off the mouths of the Rio de la Plata, where they fish in January aud February ; after
this they .seek Saint Helena aud Carrol Ground, which lies from 50 to 200 miles south of that
island, toward the Cape of Good Hope. On the latter ground they remain during the, mouths of
.March, April, and May; and thence they pass to the westward along the South American coast,
to the eastward of the Windward Islands; thence to the Bahama Banks, Cape Hatteras, and
along the coast of the United States, home.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 15
"The smaller class of whalers seldom extend their cruising to the south of the line, but after
they have visited the first two whaling-grounds they usually pass to the westward toward the
island of Fernando de Noronha, and thence along the South American coast until they reach
the Windward Islands. They frequent the Caribbean Sea in the months of January and Feb-
ruary, and farther to the. westward off the peninsula of Yucatan and Cuba in April ; after which
time they proceed through the Gulf of Mexico to cruise off the Bahama Banks and Cape Hatteras
in May. Thence they pass northward, on either side of the Gulf Stream, to the eastern side of
the Grand Banks.
" In the Indian Ocean, the south part of Madagascar, off Point Dauphin, is visited in March
and April ; in May, June, and July the ground off the southwest coast of Madagascar, in the
Mozambique Channel, and upon, both sides of that channel. The whalers usually recruit iu Saint
Augustine's Bay, where supplies are to be had in abundance, and both wood and water are easily
procured. After this they usually spend some time off Cape Corrientes. with the cape and head-
lauds on either side, and visit the Comoro Isles. Sperm whales are frequently found in numbers
among these islands, and ships usually do well in their vicinity. The African coast, from Mozam-
bique to Zanzibar, is good ground, and the latter is also a good port for repairing.
" Some ships extend their cruising during the northeast monsoon, from October to April, to
the Arabian coast, but the African is generally preferred. The Chagos Archipelago at times
affords some success, but it is very doubtful ground, and has not often been frequented. The
proper season is during the southwest monsoon.
" The most profitable ground iu the Indian Ocean is the west and northwest coast of New
Holland, as far eastward as the islands of Timor, Lomboch, and Angier, and westward to the
Keeling Islands, including the coast of Java.
**********
" It wilt be perceived how nearly these grounds coincide with the places wherein, according
to the views already stated, the polar streams are obstructed by land or islands, so as either to
interrupt their course or create such an impediment as to change it.
" The Sooloo Sea is the only place that remains to be noticed. American ships, however, have
seldom gone thither, but English vessels are reported as having met with much success there."*
(b) EIGHT-WHALE GROUNDS.
GEOGRAPHICAL, DISTRIBUTION OF RIGHT WHALES. — The right whale (Eubalcena) is found
in various parts of the world as far north as latitude 61° 30', at the mouth of Hudson Strait, and
south to the Antarctic Ocean, though it is rare in the warmest latitudes. This whale, of which
there are several species in the different oceans, must not be confounded with the bow-head,
or polar whale, which is called right whale by many whalemen, though quite distinct from it and
inhabiting much colder waters, the bow-head being an ice whale and the right a temperate whale.
The principal right-whaling grounds east of America are in the South Atlantic, while in the
Pacific Ocean they are of about equal importance both north and south of the tropics.
NORTH ATLANTIC GROUNDS. — The North Atlantic grounds for this species are few iu num-
ber. They are taken during the summer mouths off the southern end of Greenland and to a
limited extent in the lower part of Davis Strait, near Resolution Island. Along the eastern
coast of the United States they are occasionally captured by shore, whalemen, especially at the
whaling stations in North Carolina. During the winter mouths whalers find them on the Hatteras
" Narrative of Wilkes's U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. v.
] 6 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Ground, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean Sea. A few small vessels have cruised with
indifferent success for right whales along the west coast of Africa, in latitude 15° north, and in
Center Bay, about latitude 23° north. At no particular place in the North Atlantic are they now
abundant, though they were formerly taken in great numbers close to the New England shore,
and eastward of the Newfoundland fishing-banks.
SOUTH ATLANTIC GROUNDS. — The most noted grounds for right whales at the commencement
of the right- whale fishery iu the last century were off the coasts of Brazil and of Patagonia, on what
were called the "Brazil," or " Main," and " False Banks," and especially between the thirty-sixth and
the fifty-fifth parallels from the coast to 30° west longitude. The most important spots were on and
about the above banks and from latitude 38° to 45° south, and longitude 38° to 45° west. Right
whales were also quite abundant in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands, which were first visited by
our whalemen in 1774; near the Tristan Islands, between latitude 28° to 42° south, and from the
meridian to 20° west longitude, was called the "Tristan Ground," and was a favorite cruising
place. Good whaling was also found from latitude 34° to 43° south and longitude 24° to 28°
west. Other important grounds were along the west coast of Africa from latitude 22° to 32°
south, or to the Cape of Good Hope. Ships met with great success on the South Atlantic grounds
for many years, and it was not an uncommon occurrence for vessels of from l/iOO to 2,500 barrels
capacity to fill up and return home from the South Atlantic in one season, making the voyage in
from seven to ten months.
The grounds more particularly visited at the present day in this ocean are around the Tristan
Islands in latitude 36° to 38° south, longitude 10° to 25° west, from September to January; on
the east coast of South America in latitude 30° to 35° south, from May to August ; and from
September to June along the coast of Patagonia in latitude 42° to r<2° south. The whales caught
are of the regular right-whale species, the bull when full grown yielding from 40 to 60 barrels of
oil and the cow from 60 to 80 barrels, or about 60 barrels on an average. The whalebone aver-
ages about 300 pounds to 100 barrels oil in the bull, and 400 to 600 pounds to 100 barrels oil in
the cow whale.
INDIAN OCEAN AND SOUTH PACIFIC GROUNDS. — We now pass the Cape of Good Hope to
the right- whale grounds in the Indian Ocean, all of which are at present entirely abandoned by
the Americans. On many parts of the ocean lying between the parallels of 20° to 50° south, and
from longitude 18° to 80° east, right whales were found abundant in former years, and a few
ships continued to cruise there up to 1879, though most of the whales have been killed or driven
from the ground. The most important places within these limits of latitude and longitude were
at Delago Bay, in latitude 26° south, longitude 32° east ; east of Cape of Good Hope, in latitude
35° to 38° south, longitude 30° to 35° east ; around the Crozette Islands, in latitude 45° to 47°
south, and longitude 49° to 52° east ; in the vicinity of St. Paul's Island, in latitude 32° to 38°
south, longitude 70° to 80° east; and near Kerguelen Island, in latitude 48° to 50° south, longi-
tude 69° to 700 West.
The season for cruising in the Indian Ocean is the same as in the South Atlantic. The best
mouths for whaling offshore are from September to May, and when inshore more whales are
taken in the winter months, when they can be found around the islands, near the rocks, and
among the kelp or seaweed. The whales in this ocean are smaller than those taken in the South
Atlantic, averaging 40 barrels of oil and 240 pounds of bone for the bull, and for the cow whale
60 barrels of oil and 360 pounds of bone, or 600 pounds of bone to 100 barrels of oil.
In former years right whales were found quite plenty on the west and south coasts of Australia,
especially at Cape Leeuwin, Geographe Bay, and King George Sound. They were also taken
THE WHALE FISHERY. 17
around Van Diemen's Land, or Tasmania, which place, for the past ten years, has employed a fleet
of eleven vessels, principally in the sperm-whale fishery in this vicinity. In the year 1872 nineteen
vessels, measuring 4,017 tons, belonged at Tasmania, and produced 112 barrels of whale oil and
2,712 barrels of sperm oil.
The vicinily of New Zealand was once an important right- whaling ground, and is still occa-
sionally visited by vessels, that meet with moderate success, taking both right and sperm whales.
The grounds are both inshore and offshore ; the most noted of those offshore, from October to
March, are from latitude 38° to 48° south, and longitude 154° to 162° east. Commencing the
season to the north, vessels work south with the whales. Around the Auckland Islands and in
the vicinity of Stewart's Island, from the laud to 100 miles offshore, are good cruising grounds;
also from 36° to 45° south latitude, and KJIP east to 160° west longitude.
Right whales were takeu in abundance off the coast of Chili about forty years ago, and a few
vessels still cruise in that vicinity, making mixed voyages for sperm and whale oil. The season is
from September 1 to January 1, on the grounds from latitude 42° to 47° south, and longitude 75°
to 80° west. After the beginning of the year vessels work along shore toward the north as far
as latitude 35° south, occasionally anchoring in the bays and cruising back and forth between
the thirty-fifth and the fortieth parallels until 'May. The most noted grounds are Concepcion and
St. Vincent bays, near the port of Talcahnaua, where they formerly caught their whales and tried
out their oil while at anchor, sometimes taking 1,000 barrels of oil in a month. Some vessels used
to winter in these bays, though they were not very successful in the winter months.
NORTH PACIFIC GROTTNDS. — One of the principal cruising places for right whales in this
ocean is that known as the "Northwest coast right- whale ground," or the "Kadiak ground,"
situated near an island of that name off the Aliaska peninsula, and extending from latitude 50° to
GO0 north, and longitude 130° to 160° west. The best portion of this ground lies between
latitude 55° to 58° north, and longitude 140° to 152° east, and the most profitable cruising season
is from April to October. The first whaling vessel to cruise here was the ship Ganges, of Nan-
tucket, commanded by Capt. Barzillar Folger. This was in the year 1835, from which time until
within a few years past the Kadiak was the most important ground north of the Japan ground.
The whales taken on this ground average about 125 barrels of oil each, the male or bull making
from 60 to 100 barrels, and the cow whale from 100 to 250 barrels. The bone will average about
1,000 pounds to 100 barrels of oil, and is much longer than the South Sea bone. A full-grown
whale here has about two hundred slabs of bone, varying in length from 1 foot to 11 feet. Some
ot these whales, though apparently good when taken, prove to be " dry skins," making no oil, and
many of them sink after being killed. The blubber varies in thickness on different parts of the
body, being from 5 to 15 inches on a 100-barrel whale, and on a 200-barrel from 5 to 18 inches.
The lips, from which oil is also taken, sometimes yield from 8 to 10 barrels.
Right whales are found and have been captured around the Fox Islands and in Bristol Bay
north of the Aliaska peninsula. In Bering Sea, along the coast of Kamchatka, there is good
right whaling ; also at the entrance to Okhotsk Sea, and in the southern part of that sea during
the months of April and Jlay. They are also taken in the Japan and the Yellow Seas. "In
former years," says Scammou, "the right whales were found on the coast of Oregon, and ocea-
sionly in large numbers ; the few frequenting the coast of California are supposed to have been
merely stragglers from their northern haunts. Some, indeed, have, been taken (from February to
April) as far south as the Bay of San Sebastian Viscaino, and about Cerros Island, both places
being near tin- parallel of 29° north latitude."*
* Marine Mammalia, ji. Wi.
SEC. v, VOL. ii 2
|g HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEE1ES.
(C) BOWHEAD-WHALE GROUNDS.
GEOGRAPHICAL DisTinr.rrioN OF BOWHEAD WHALES.— The bowhead or polar whale is the
spi-Hes ibnucrly taken in great numbers by the Dutch and English whalers at Spitzbergen,
•Greeuliind. nnd Davis Strait. It is the whale captured by the American fleet in the Arctic Ocean,
and is the most valuable of the right or whalebone whales both for the quantity and for the quality
of its oil and for the length and the thickness of its baleen. In the English whale fishery it is
not distinguished from the right whale, but is not the same us the species commonly known to
American whalemen under that name, The American right whale lives in more temperate waters,
while the polar or bowhead whale inhabits only the icy regions of the northern seas. The home
of the bowhead is in must of 1 he waters north of the sixtieth parallel of north latitude. It is found
in lower latitudes on the Asiatic than on the Greenland side of America, being taken in the
Okhotsk Sea as far south as the fifty-fourth parallel and in the Bering Sea as far south as the
fifty-fifth parallel, which is the southern limit of the winter ice in that sea. In the Greenland
Arctic the bowhead is not found south of Cape Farewell on the sixtieth parallel. The northern
limit of this whale is undefined.
TLe capture of the bowhead whale began at Spitzbergen in the early part of the seventeenth
century; it soon extended to the east coast of Greenland, and early in the eighteenth century
they were taken in Davis Strait and adjoining waters. It was not until the year 1848 that the
whalers pushed their way through Bering Strait and established the very profitable fishery for this
species in the Pacific-Arctic.
The principal grounds visited by the whaling vessels of the United States in search of the
bowhead are as follows:
ATLANTIC-ARCTIC GROUNDS. — Off Cape Farewell, at the southern end of Greenland, from
June to August; also in Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay, especially in the vicinity of South-
hampton Island and near Cape Fullerton, that lies in about latitude 64° north, and longitude 86°
west. The vessels are accustomed to work through the ice in Hudson Strait about the middle
of July, arriving in the bay about August 1, and if intending to return home the same year
they leave the bay by the 1st of September. Many of them go into winter quarters about Sep-
tember 15, and spend the winter in the ice, taking advantage of the early and the late appearance
of the whales, as also occasionally capturing seals or walrus in the winter months.
In Davis Strait the vessels cruise near Northumberland Inlet in about latitude 65° north,
and longitude 68° west. Cumberland Inlet has also been a favorite resort for whaling vessels of
the smaller class, and they frequently winter there. Eesolution Island, at the entrance to Cumber-
laud Inlet, is a good ground for both bowhead and right whales during April and May.
The whales taken in these bays and inlets in former years would average about 120 barrels
of oil each, the bull 100 barrels, and the cow 140 barrels ; but of late years they have been smaller
and scarcer. The yield of bone is usually about 1,300 pounds to 100 barrels of oil.
American vessels at present cruise no farther north than the sixty-fifth parallel, though the
Scotch steam-whalers, that carry their blubber home to be boiled out, frequently take their whales
as far north as the seventy-fifth parallel. The American vessels formerly went as far as Pond's
Bay, in about latitude 73° north.
A further discussion of the movements of the Scotch whalers is given below under the head
of Foreign Whale Fishery.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth and first part of the nineteenth centuries there were very
profitable whaling grounds for the bowhead in the vicinity of Spitzbergen and off the east coast
THE WHALE FISHERY. 19
of Greenland, where extensive fisheries were curried on by the European nations. These grounds
were not visited by vessels of the United States until within the past thirty years, and then only
in a lew instances. The first American whaler sailing for Spitzbergen Sea was the ship Han-
nibal, Captain Kovee, that left New London May '21, 18.3.3, and returned March 21, 1856, with
only twenty eight barrels of whale-oil. A second attempt was the, voyage of the bark Tempest,
Captain Allyn, that left New London May HI, 1857. Captain Allyn states that he had under-
taken this voyage to the Spitsbergen regions by the advice of Hon. Thomas W. Williams, a
successful whaling agent, who furnished him with Scoresby's journals and information obtained
by correspondence with whaling agents in Scotland, setting forth the frequent appearance of
whales in the region of ocean north of Knssia. During the month of July these seas were cruised
over by the Tempest, but, "although we sought diligently for whales," says Captain Allyn, "our
search was totally unsuccessful, and on the 9th of August we concluded to proceed to a more
congenial climate."* The vessel then cruised clown through the North and South Atlantic
Oceans, round Cape of Good Hope, on to New Zealand, and thence to the Okhotsk Sea, and
after cruising with moderate success for two or three seasons in these waters returned to New
London in 1861. In 1865 a third attempt was made to establish an American fishery in these
seas, this time at Iceland by the bark Reindeer, of New York, principally for sulphur-bottom
whales. The first year's work was unsuccessful, and the second season resulted in such little
profit that the project was abandoned. Tbese three voyages are the only ones, so far as known,
that have been made by American whaling vessels to the oceans east of Greenland or north ot
Europe.
The Eussians and Norwegians carry on profitable whale fisheries, mostly for the fin-back, at
one or two points along the coasts of Norway and Fiurnark. One of these stations is on an island
in Varangar Fiord, opposite Wadso, in Fiumark. In recent years a few Norwegian vessels have
visited Spitzbergeu in search of whales, as in the season of 1873, when six vessels, with fifty-seven
men, were frozen in the ice at the island, and seventeen of the men perished before assistance
reached them.
PACIFIC-ARCTIC GROUNDS. — The fleet of whaling vessels cruising north of 50° north latitude in
the waters between the Asiatic and the American coasts is called the North Pacific fleet. It has
been the most important branch of the American right-whaling fleet since 1835, when the famous
Kadiak ground, lying between latitude ,3<P and 60° north, was discovered. Here were taken only
the right whale, but in 1843 the fleet pushed farther north, and began capturing bowheads on the
Kamchatka coast. In 1848 a whaling vessel entered the Arctic in pursuit of these large animals
and met with good success. In 1839 there were only two vessels in the North Pacific fleet. From
that date to 1880 the total number of voyages m ale to these grounds by American vessels was
4,300, and the total catch of whale-oil (including oil of the right whale, bowhead, and walrus) was
3,994,397 barrels, or 60 per cent, of the total production of whale-oil by the American fleet in all
oceans during the same period.
The North Pacific right and bowhead whale fishery has always been peculiarly an American
enterprise, very few foreign vessels having participated in it. The principal grounds were
discovered by American vessels bet ween the years 183,3 and 1S48. The, most important whaling-
grounds for the bowhead in this region are the Okhotsk Sea and tiie Arctic Ocean. The former-
is at present of little importance, but lew vessels having visited it dining the past five or ten
years, nearly all of the fleet preferring the hazardous, though profitable, whaling in the Arctic. The
•TheOld tJ:i.ilnr'.sSi,.i-.\, l,.\- Cimlm, L. All n 1879, p. 85,
20 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
bays iu the Bering Sea are visited by the fleet oil its way to the Arctic, and large numbers of
whales are sometimes taken in these waters before the ice permits the vessels to pass through the
Strait.
The North Pacific whale fishery was at its height in 1846, when 292 ships cruised in the region
north of the fiftieth parallel, between the Asiatic aud the American shores. In 1868 there were
but 68 vessels in the fleet, of which number 41 were in the Arctic Ocean, 8 in the Okhotsk Sea,
and 19 on the Kadiak ground. In the season of 1SSO the fleet was reduced to 19 vessels, all of
which cruised in the Arctic and captured a total of 2(>f> whales.
"The principal herding places of the bowheads in the Okhotsk," says Scammou, "were at the
extremities of this great sheet of water, the most northern being the Northeast Gulf (Gulf of
Ghijigha), the most southern Tehauter Bay. The whales did not make their appearance in
Northeast Gulf so soon as iu the bay. Whalers endeavored, as soon as possible, to get to the head
of Tehauter Bay, where they found the objects of pursuit in the intermediate water, between the
ice and the shore, long before the main body of the congealed mass was broken up, and before the
ships could get between the ice aud the shore, even at high tide, the boats being sent forward
weeks previous to the ships. Soon after the ships' arrival the whales avoided their pursuers by
going under the main body of ice, situated in the middle of the bay, where they found breathing-
holes among the floes. The boats cruised about the edge of the barrier, watching for them to
emerge from their covert, which occasionally they did, when chase was instantly given. Fre-
quently, in sailing along this ice-field, yon could hear distinctly the sound of whales blowing
among it, where no water was visible at the point whence the sound came. The first of the season,
before the ice broke up and disappeared, when there were no whales about, the question was
frequently asked, 'Where are the whales?' and as often answered, 'They are in the ice'; and, 'When
do you think they will come out?' was answered by, ' When the ice leaves.' It has been established
lieyond question that this species pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or rather, if we may be
allowed the expression, from the Atlantic Arctic to the Pacific Arctic, by the north ; and, too, it
is equally certain that numerous air-holes always exist in the ice that covers the Arctic waters,
even in the coldest latitudes. These fissures are caused by the rise and fall of the tides, and con-
traction and expansion of the ice. Storms acting upon the water hundreds of miles distant also
have their influence in rending asunder the icy fetters of those frozen seas. It appears to us
not improbable that the bowhead has a feeding and breeding ground iu a polar sea. And as
they have never been seen during the winter months in any other quarter of the globe, except as
before mentioned, it would appear that they nmst remain among the rough water and broken ice,
at the southern edge of the winter barrier, or migrate to some remote sea unknown to man." *
The whaling vessels enter the Okhotsk as soon as the ice leaves, which is usually about the
last of May, though sometimes it is as late as July. Having anchored the vessel in a convenient
bay or inlet, the boats are sent out in search of the whales, and the animals, after being captured,
are sometimes towed ashore and cut up there, the blubber being rafted off td*"the vessel. This
mode is made necessary from the fact that the boats may be absent several days or even weeks,
and be quite a distance from their vessel. The difficulties incident to whaling in the Okhotsk are
told by Captain Scammon in his history of the whale-fishery. The whales found here during
recent years have been much smaller than those taken at the beginning of the fishery, when the
largest sometimes yielded 250 barrels of oil each, and the smallest about 80 barrels. The cow
whales gave the most oil, averaging about 130 barrels, and the bulls about 90 barrels, the yield of
bone being about 1,500 pounds to TOO barrels of oil. The M-ason closes in the Okhotsk about the
.ION : lljiriue Mammalia, y. 59.
THIO WHALE KISIIKKY. 21
latter part of October, though vessels sometimes continue musing throughout November at great
risk from the ice, and they have occasionally wintered in the ice in order to take advantage of the
late and early seasons.
Ships that cruise in the Arctic Ocean generally arrive in the Kamchatka and the Anadyr
Seas about the beginning of May, and continue cruising south of Bering Strait until the ice per-
mits them to pass through the .Strait into the Arctic, which is usually about the first of June.
Before entering the Strait a considerable number of whales are sometimes taken in the bays and
gulfs along the Siberian coast and about St. Lawrence Island. Captain Barnes, in the bark Sea
Breeze, of New Bedford, in the. season of 1S77, passed the. Aleutian chain on May 4, and three
days after came up to the ice in latitude f>(P 30' north. Until May -',', the ice was skirted toward
the westward, and frequent iuell'ectual attempts were made to penetrate it. Laud was sighted on
the iMth, l-'.JO miles west -sout Invest from Cape Xavarin, and on that day the ice was entered. On
June 18, whales were seen off Cape Chaplin. The. whales usually pass through the Strait about
the beginning of June, and are followed up by the vessels that cruise along the western side of the
Arctic during the, first part of the season, while waiting for the ice to open NO that they may pass
to the eastward to 1'oint Barrow. This time of waiting usually lasts from the middle of June till
the 1st of August, and is called the "summer season" or ''between seasons." It is spent princi-
pally in capturing walrus which herd on the ice floes in immense numbers in the vicinity of Cape
Serdze-Kameu. During specially favorable 4; summer seasons,1' as that of 1880, many whales are
taken, and little time is spent in wall-using, but these weeks are usually quiet ones with the fleet,
the killing of walrus being considered a pastime by the whalemen.
As soon as the ice will permit, at, the beginning of August, the fleet follows up through the
openings, capturing whales wherever they can be found. Most of the vessels reach Point Barrow
by the middle of August, and begin to push farther to the eastward, creeping along the edge of
the ice or entering the openings in search of their prey. Some of the vessels in the season of 1877
went as far east as Return Beef, and early in September they had all returned to Point Barrow.
From this time until the ice begins to close tip the fleet cruises back and forth westward of Point
Barrow, reaching some seasons as high as the seventy-second parallel, which is about the most
northern cruising ground in the Arct ic. The period from the middle of August until about October
1, when the fleer leaves the ocean, is the real Arctic season, and an exciting one it is.
Ships quite often anchor along the shores in thick weather, as also to " cut in" the whales, or
to "try out" the oil. Most of the ships leave the sea about the 1st of October, though sometimes
they stay later, at the risk of being caught in the new ice. "The general breaking up of the ice in
this region," says Captain Hooper, ••commences in May or June in the vicinity of Bering Strait,
and continues until the first part of .September, after which time new ice begins to form, although
the sea is not entirely close. 1 for some weeks later. The heavy j;ales keep the larger floes in motion,
and prevent them from unit ing in one mass. After October 1 the water is so chilled that a general
closing up of the sea is likely to occur at any time. Formerly the whale-ships did not remain in
the Arctic later than the middle < mber. but as whales grew scarce they prolonged their
stay each year, until last year (ls7'.h they did not leave until after the middle of October. This
resulted in the loss of three vessels and two entire crews; a fourth vessel, the bark Helen Mar,
Captain Bauldry, barely escaped, bringing with her the crew of the bark Mercury, one of the lost
vessels. Her escape was effected by carrying all sail with a strong, fair wind, and forcing a passage
through the new ice, which was so t hick that at times her headway was entirely lost until a strong
puff of wind started her again. In this way the vessel worked on a few miles each day, reaching
Bering Strait about the 1st of November."*
* Corwin's Cruise, 1880.
22 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
(d) nTJMPBACK-TVHAI/E GROUNDS.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OP HUMPBACK WHALES. — Humpback whales (Negaptera)
are found within the parallels of C0° north and 70° south latitude. They are seldom seen far
from laud, but me generally caught in mild climates, within certain bays and along coasts where
the water is shallow.
The most noted places lor taking them in the Atlantic Ocean are in the vicinity of the Island
of Trinidad and in the Gulf of Para, irom 10° to 11° north latitude, and 01° to 63° west longitude,
also around Cape Verde Islands during the winter months, and on the coast of Africa from 3°
north to 7° south latitude from June to October.
" Some, of the Provmcetowu whalers,'' sa\ s Captain Atwood, " prosecute both the humpback
and the sperm whale fishery. They sail from port about the middle or last of January and go
direct to the West Indies, where they whale near the shores of these islands for humpbacks.
Their whaling-ground for this species is from Tobago, latitude 11° 20' north, longitude 60° 27'
west, thence northward around the shores of the islands as far as the Island of Mariegulante, in
latitude 15° 52' north, longitude Cl° 18' west. These vessels stop there until the latter part of
April or early in May, when they leave for the Western, Charleston, or Hatteras grounds in pur-
suit of sperm whales, and usually return home in September. Another favorite ground is around
the Cape Verde Islands, where these vessels cruise near the shore for the humpback during
the winter mouths and then go north to the sperm whale grounds."
In 1879 humpback whales were abundant on the coast of Maine. One of the most successful
whalers out of Provincetown that season was the Brilliant, an old pink-stern schooner of 17 tons,
which hunted this species off Deer Isle, Maine. Up to October 1 she had taken four whales, yield-
ing one hundred and fifty-five barrels. The Brilliant carried but one whale-boat, and tried out the
oil on shore, towing in the whales as they were killed. Capt. J. W. Collins reports that on May
17, 1877, when in latitude 44° 16' north, longitude 58° 59' west, he noticed an unusual number
of whales and porpoises. " There were more humpback whales than I had even before seen in
that locality ; appeared to be entirely fearless of the vessel; played around her all day, sometimes
coming up alongside within 15 or 20 feet, their heads out of water 10 or 12 feet. At other times
they would lie on top of the water and lash it into snowy foam with their long, flexible fins."
In the Pacific Ocean humpbacks are taken all along the coast of Ecuador and Colombia, from
Guayaquil to the Bay of Panama and on reefs around the islands of the Friendly Group, also
occasionally around the New Hebrides and the Fiji Group. They are also found in considerable
abundance around the Rosemary Islands, on the northwest coast of Australia, and around Bramp-
tou Shoals. The liesi -rounds on the South American coast are in the Gulf of Guayaquil, which
lies in about latitude o° south, and from here along the shore to the north as far as 3° north lati-
tude, off the villages of Tacaroes and Esmaraldas, in Ecuador. Ships occasionally anchor and send
out their boat for the whales, that must- as a rule be killed in shoal water, as most of them sink and
must be hauled up. The season for whaling ou this coast is from February to August, beginning
at Esmaraldas in February, and working along south until, in June, the whales appear at the Gulf
of Guayaquil, and continue until August. The season ou the Australian coast and around the
Western Pacific group of islands begins about the 1st of June and continues into November and
December.
Humpback whales are taken along the coast of California at the shore-whaling stations,
especially at Moniei-ey Bay. They are also seen and captured at Magdaleua and Balenas Bays.
In many bays and around islands in the Alaskan territory and the Aleutian Islands they are
taken by the Indians atid the Eskimos.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 23
Captain Scammon records the following observations on this species of whale : " In the years
is.li! ami 1853 large numbers of humpbacks resorted to the Gulf of Guayaquil, coast of Peru, to
calve, aud the height of the season was during I lie months of July and August. The same may
be said of the gulfs aud bays situated near the corresponding latitudes north of the equator; still,
instances are not infrequent when cows and their calves have been seen at all other seasons of
the year about the same coast. In the Bay of Valle de llanderas, coast of Mexico (latitude 20°
30'), in the month of December, we saw numbers of humpbacks, with calves but a few days old.
In May, 1855, at Magdalena. Ray, coast of Lower California (about latitude 24° 30'), we found
them in like numbers, some with very large calves, while others were very small. The season at
Tongataboo (one of the Friendly Islands, latitude 21° south, longitude 174° west), according to
Captain Beckermau, includes August and September. Here the females were usually large,
yielding an average of 40 barrels of oil, including the entrail fat, which amounted to about 6
barrels. The largest whale taken at this point during the season of 1871 produced 73 barrels,
and she was adjudged to be 75 feet in length." *
In the year 1872 humpback whaling was successfully prosecuted at Panama Bay; Harper's
and Tonga Islands; Chesterfield Shoals; coast of Africa; West Indies; Crozet and Desolation
Islands. The last two islands have been visited more especially for the capture of right whales
and sea elephants, though humpback whales were taken here aud in other parts of the Indian
Ocean.
(e) FINBACK, SULPHUR-BOTTOM, AND OTHER WHALING GROUNDS.
SULPHUR-BOTTOM WHALES. — The finback and the sulphur-bottom whales are found in most
parts of the different oceans and in some places are very numerous. The sulphur-bottom is the
largest whale known, varying from 60 to 100 feet or more. It is, like the finback, exceedingly
swift in its movements, aud can be captured only by the whalingrocket or the bomb-gun. Captain
Seabury states that "they sometimes follow the vessel for miles." There can hardly be said to be
any special grounds where the sulphur-bottom is captured, comparatively few having ever been
taken. On the coast of California the shore-whalemen have taken a few, and several were taken
some years since by the schooner Page, of San Francisco, off the port of San Quentin, Lower Cali-
fornia. An attempt was made about 1865 to establish a fishery for this species at Iceland. " Two
or three small screw steamers," says Captain Seabury, "were sent there from England to whale in the
bays, using for the capture a whale-gun and a large line to go through the bottom of the boat.
They were quite successful in taking the whale, aud followed up the business for two or three years,
but the expense being greater than the income, it was abandoned. Beyond those taken by this
expedition off Iceland, there have been but few sulphur-bottoms captured."
FINBACK WHALES. — This whale is taken principally by shore-whalemen, vessels preferring
more profitable game, as the finback has but little blubber, no valuable bone, and withal is very
difficult to capture. They are taken by the California boat-whalers, aud for two years past have
been captured in considerable number along the coast of New England, especially at Proviucetown,
where forty-eight were secured in the spring of 1880. The shore-whaling stations on the coasts of
Norway and Fiumark are for the capture of this species.
GRAY WHALE OR DEVIL-FISH. — The California gray whale, also called "devil-fish" and
"mussel-digger," is found principally on the coast of California, in the bays and gulfs and along
the shores, in shoal water. The most noted places are Magdalena Bay, in about latitude 25° north,
and Scammon's Lagoon, in about latitude 30° north. They are also found aud taken in the
"Marine Mammalia, ji. 4::.
24 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Okhotsk Sea and the Arctic Ocean. They are not large, and yield on an average only about 30
barrels of a reddish oil. They are said to be the most dangerous to capture of all whales. The
bomb-lance or the whaling rocket is generally used in the chase. On the Calit'ornian coast the
best season for the capture of this species is from November to April or May, after which time
they move north. They appear in October and November off the coast of Oregon on their return
south. This whale is known only in northern latitudes, and is not found in the Atlautic Ocean.
No great number has ever been taken. Captain Scarninon, in 1872, estimated that the whole
number captured or destroyed since 1846, when bay-whaling commenced, would not exceed 10,800.
DISTRIBUTION OF BLACKFISH AND PORPOISE. — There are several other species of cetacea,
as the blackfish and the porpoise, that are widely distributed over the oceans, and are often taken
by whaling vessels, though they are not special objects of pursuit. Those fisheries for these
species are discussed in the next chapter. The white whale or beluga is found principally in the
icy waters of the north, and several hundred of them are annually taken by the natives of the
countries bordering those seas, as also by the Scotch whaling vessels visiting Davis Strait. These
vessels in 1877 took 935 white whales, and in 187G they captured 700. According to Scammon
large numbers are captured by the natives of Alaska and of Eastern Siberia, where they ascend
the rivers for several hundred miles. They are taken in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and also by
the Norwegians at Spitzbergen. Nordeuskiold * states that in 1871 vessels from Tromsoe alone
caught 2,167 of this species in nets. Their value was estimated at about $15 each. Both the
blubber, hide, aud carcass are utilized, the latter by the guano factories in Norway. They are
also taken in nets by the Russians and Samoyeds at Chabarova.
ROUTES TO GROUNDS; SUPPLY STATIONS.
ROUTES TO WHALING- GROUNDS. — Vessels engaged in the Atlautic Ocean fishery are of two
classes, those of small size on short cruises and those of large capacity that make longer voyages.
The former cruise principally in the North Atlantic, and are always on the alert for whales, work-
ing on all the grouuds in this ocean, but especially those near the Azores or on the Hatteras
ground. They usually leave home in the spring and return in the fall, proceeding first to the more
southeru and working toward the more northern fields. Some of these small vessels, however,
remain out for a year or even more, spending the winter mouths on the tropical grounds aud often
cruising in the South Atlantic, where they obtain a quantity of oil to be transshipped from St.
Helena to the United States. They will work toward home, .stopping in the principal equatorial
and northern grounds. The second or larger class of vessels are gone fiom home for from two to
three years, often cruising on all the grounds in both the North and the South Atlantic. They
usually go first to the Western Islands and from there work south or north as the abundance or
the scarcity of whales on the different grounds may suggest. They frequently resort to ports at
the Azores or Cape Verde Islands, in the north Atlantic, and St. Helena, in the South Atlantic.
The Hudson Bay or Davis Strait fleet is composed of vessels of all sizes. They make voyages
lasting from eight mouths to one or two years. Many of them have been accustomed to leave
home in the spring and to proceed at once to the Straits in time to enter the bays and gulfs at the
breaking up of the ice. They spend the summer in search of whales, and may return home in the
early fall, or remain to winter in the ice in ordei- to take advantage of the early movement of
whales in spring. There are no refitting ports to which they can resort, so that if the vessel be of
small carrying capacity she will generally prefer to winter at home rather than in the icy regions.
* Voyage of the Vega, vol. i.
TILIC WHALE FISUEBY. 25
The I'acitie-Aretic fleet is aceustomcd to winter in San Francisco or at the Sandwich Isl-
ands, and upon the opening <>t' spring to proceed at once to the north, there awaiting the open-
ing of the ice to go through the Strait. They return to winter quarters in the late fall and trans-
ship their catches by rail or \ New Bedford. Vessels sailing from New Bedford for the
Arctic leave home in the fall, in order to pass Tape Horn during the summer season. These
vessels seldom stop on the various grounds in their pathway, but will not refuse a good chance to
take a whale wherever tlie.s maybe. They are frequently absent from home for several years,
making annual cruises north from their retifting station.
Ships and barks that cruised in the Pacific Ocean in former years made their voyages in from
thirty to forty-eight mouths, or an average of about forty months. At the present time such a
vessel shipping products home seldom makes a. voyage in less than three years, and sometimes
they are gone live years. The usual course of sperm and right whale ships when sailing in the
spring or summer is to look the ground over as far as the Western Islands, touch there and get
recruits and ship oil, if they have any; then run down and sight the Cape Verde, and sometimes
touch there for refreshments and ship men if needed, which is quite often done at the Azores or
Western Islands. They then cross the equator in from 24° to 31° west longitude, and, if bound
round Cape Horn, run along within a few degrees of the east coast of South America, generally to
the west of the Falkland Islands, and, passing through the Straits of Le Maire or to the east of
Stateu Laud, steer for Cape Horu, keeping as near to the cape as possible, to avoid the strong
westerly gales and easterly current that is usually found off shore. After getting around the
Horn each ship steers for its chosen ground. In coming home they take a more easterly course,
after getting into the Atlantic Ocean, than the passage out, so as to strike the southeast trade
wind in about longitude 28° or 30° west; then make a direct track for home.
If bound around the East Cape or Cape of Good Hope, after crossing the equator they keep
by the wind in going through the southeast trades, and when in latitude 28° to 30° south, steer
to the eastward and double the cape. If bound to New Zealand, they keep in the variable wind
to the south of latitude 30° south, and pass around Van Diemau's Land. If bound into the
Indian Ocean, after passing the cape they steer for their several grounds. If sailing late in the
season, and bound direct for the Pacific or Indian Ocean, ships keep the same course, except that
they go more to the south and avoid the Western Islands.
SUPPLY STATIONS. — The principal places in the North Atlantic visited by whaling vessels
for supplies or for transshipment of oil are the Barbadoes, Bermuda Islands, Fayal at the Azores,
and Port Praya at Cape Verde Islands. In the South Atlantic the most important places are
Peruambuco, Rio de Janeiro, St. Catherine, and Montevideo, on the east coast of South America.
On the African coast are St. Helena, Ambrozet, and Cape Town.
lu the Indian Ocean, Mauritius, on the Isle de France, is about the only port whence oil is
transshipped aud about the only place for repairs, though there are other places, as Zanzibar.
Seychelle Islands, Singapore, aud some of the East India islands, that are visited by the vessels.
On the west coast of New Holland, Shark's Bay, Geographe Bay, and King George's Sound;
also, Hobart Town, on Van Dieman's Land, and Sydney, on the east coast of Australia, are supply
stations for vessels cruising on adjacent grounds.
The principal places visited by whalemen in the South Pacific are Monganui and Bay of
Islands, on the east coast of New Zealand, Feejee and Navigator's Island, Papeta, on the island of
Otaheite, and Nookaheva, one of the Marquesas Islands ; and on the west coast of South America
the ports of Sail Carlos, Talcahuano, Valparaiso, Callao, Payta, and Tumbez. Only two ports are
much used for transshipping oil; these are Talcahuano, in Chili, and Bay of Islands, in New
26 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES.
Zealand. These, with Payta and Tumbez, in Pern, are the principal ports visited by ships. The
Galapagos Islands have some good harbors and are occasionally resorted to for the land turtles
or terrapin that are abundant there. On some islands wood can be obtained, and on the south
side of Chatham Island good water can be got with safety from November to May.
In the North Pacific the principal ports visited for the transshipment of oil are San Fran-
cisco, Panama, Hila, and Honolulu. Tacames, in Ecuador, Acapulco, on the west coast of Mexico.
Yokohama, Hakadadi, Guam, one of the Ladrone Islands, Hong-Kong, and Manila have all been
visiting stations. There are also many other places occasionally visited by the whaling fleet. For
the convenience of the Arctic fleet a supply vessel is sent from San Francisco to meet the vessels
at Bering Strait or in the Arctic and receive what oil they may wish to send home and supply
them with fresh provisions.
3. EARLY HISTORY OF BOAT-WHALING IN NEW ENGLAND.
r.OAST OF MAINE.
We find no records to indicate that shore-whaling was ever extensively practiced on the
coast of Maine, though drift whales may have been frequently cast ashore and cared for by the
shoremen. The following item, given by Hubbard in his history of New England, shows that
the people of Maine, in early times, were not versed in the handling of whales: "In 1668 a sperm
whale fifty-five feet long was taken at Winter Harbor, near Casco Bay. The like hath happened
in other places of the country, where, for want of skill to improve it, much gain hath slipped out
of the hands of the finders."
MASSACHUSETTS NORTH OP CAPE COD.
There is little in the early records to show what interest the people of Massachusetts, north
of Cape Cod, had in shore whaling. It is probable that at Salem and vicinity this business was
carried on in a small way during the eighteenth century. Mr. John Higginsou, in 1700, writes
that at Salem, u we have a considerable quantity of whale oil and bone for exportation."* He
writes again in 1706 to a friend in Ipswich as if he were concerned with others in boat whaling.
Drift whales were frequently found, and claimants notified to prove their rights before courts of
adininilly in accordance with the laws of the colony. Boston papers of December 12, 1707, mention
tbc capture by boats of a 40-foot whale near Noddle's Island. It is therefore inferred that whale
boats and implements for capture were kept in readiness in the vicinity of Boston.
It is probable that, as in recent years, drift whales were taken at Cape Ann and other points
farther north along the coast of Massachusetts, though we find no record to show a definite
business done in boat whaling at places north of Cape Cod.
BOAT WHALING AT CAPF. COD.
Starbuck has called attention to the fact that the abundance of whales was one of the main
arguments for the early settlement of Cape Cod by the English, and has quoted some interesting
accounts of the manner in which the aborigines hunted the whale two centuries and a half ago.
In Richard Mather's Journal of his voyage to Massachusetts, iu 1635, he records seeing on the end
of the Bank of Newfoundland near to New England " mighty fishes rolling and tumbling in the
waters, twice as long and as big as an ox " and " mighty whales, spewing up water in the air, like
* FELT : Annals of Salem, II, p. 225.
TIIK WHALE FISHERY. 27
tbe smoke of a chimney, anil making tin- sea about them white and hoary, as is said in Job, of
such incredible bigness that I will never wonder that the body of Jonas could lie in the belly of a
whale."
As early as 1W51, Sandwich, Harnstable, Yarmouth, and Kastham were included in a proposition
regarding the distribution of drift whales, submitted by the general court of Plymouth Colony,*
and in 1690, the people of Xantucket, finding that the people of Cape Cod had made greater profi-
ciency in the art of catching whales than themselves, sent tliitlier for an instructor. t
The Cape Cod whale fishery in. the seventeenth century, and perhaps later, was prosecuted no
doubt nearly exclusively from the shore, as was also done in Nan tucket, and as to the present day
the sperm-whale fishery is carried on about the Bermudas. A lookout was kept by watchmen on
the shore, who gave signals when a whale appeared and indicated his movements from their lofty
stations. One of these stations was ou Great Island, at the mouth of Wellfleet Harbor, where, tra-
dition says, there were at one time ten or twelve houses and the first tavern built in Wellfleet.
Wellfleet was then included in the town of Eastham, and it was doubtless by the people of this
settlement that the petition was presented in 1706, which states, "all or most of us are concerned in
fitting out Boats to Catch and take Whales when ye season of ye year Serves; and whereas when we
have taken any whale or whales, our Custom is to Cutt them up and to take away ye fatt and ye
Bone of such Whales as are brought in and afterwards to let ye Kest of ye Boikly of ye Lean of
whales Lye on shear in lowe water to be washt away by ye sea, being of uoe vallue nor worth any
Thing to us," and begs that Thomas Houghtou or his assigns be permitted to take away this waste. f
Another of these stations was in what is now the town of Dennis, and is the present site of
the hotel called the "Bay House." This tract was the joint property of Dennis and Yarmouth,
and was reserved until March, 1877, when it was sold by the mutual vote of the two towns at the
yearly town meeting.
Starbuck relates that in 1724 and 1726, in the prosecution of the wars between the Indians
and the colonists, some of the friendly Indians from the county of Barnstable were enlisted with
the express understanding that that they were to be discharged in time to take part in the fall
and winter whale fishery. §
This would indicate that the boat fishery was still at that time profitable and actively prose-
cuted.
In 1737, a paragraph in the Boston News Letter stated, a dozen whaling vessels were fitting in
Proviucetown, for Davis Strait, and that so many people were going that not over a dozen or
fourteen men would be left. Eastham also had a vessel in Davis Strait this year, and the Davis
Strait fleet from Massachusetts alone is estimated by Starbuck to have consisted of from fifty to
sixty vessels. Four years later Barnstable had at least one, whaling vessel which was captured
by the Spanish, and in 1770 this port still had two whalers in the Arctic.
The size of the Arctic fleet of Massachusetts in 1737 would indicate that the shore-fishery was
falling off in importance. Indeed a statement to this effect occurs in Felt's Annals of Saleui,
under date of 1748, where it is said, " whales formerly for many successive years set in alongshore
by Cape Cod. There was good whaling in boats * * * . After some years they left this
ground and passed farther off upon the banks at some distance from the shore. The whalers
then used sloops with whale-boats aboard, and this fishery turned to good account. At present
the whales take their course in deep water, whereupon a peace our whalers design to follow
them." ||
* STARBUCK : in Rep. U. S. Fish. Com., Part IV, 1875-'76, p. 7. t STARBUCK : 1. -a., p. 17.
til. MSs. mriTit'mr>, TV, pp. 72-73, quoted l.y Starlmolc, ?. c., p. JW. } J. C., p. 3V I1 PTARBnCK: I c., p W.
28 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
This corresponds also with statements gathered by Starbuek from various sources to the
effect that the years 1737, 1738, and 1739 were very unfortunate ones for the people of Province-
town, Sandwich, and adjacent ports, insomuch that some of the inhabitants took into serious
consideration a change of residence.
The people of Yarmouth preserve a tradition that the early whale fishery of that region had
for its object the capture of humpbacks and right whales. As has been suggested, the number
of humpbacks taken must have been very considerable, yet the right whales must also have been
plenty in early days.
The Plymouth colonists, according to Thacher,* were inclined at first to settle on Cape Cod,
because large whales of the best kind for oil and bone came daily alongside, and played about
the ship, while the master (presumably of the "Mayflower") and his mate, and others experienced-
in fishing, preferred it to the Greenland fishery. In February, 1738, the Yarmouth whalemen had
killed but one large whale during the season ; the bone of that being from 8 to 9 feet long. This
was of course a right whale, and the thing in the occurrence remarkable to the recorder was that
a great many more had not been taken the same winter. In March, 1736, the boats of Province-
town took a large whale which produced 100 barrels of oil. Humpbacks rarely yield more
than 50 barrels, and probably would not have been classed among the numerous '-large whales"
taken in those years. Another argument in favor of the supposed early abundance of the right
whale in these waters, was that upon their becoming scarce, a large fleet was forthwith dispatched
to Davis' Straits, where none but whalebone whales occur. The sperm-whale fishing of Cape Cod
was not inaugurated until about 1826, or at least not in a permanent way, though Starbnck gives
nine vessels from "Cape Cod" in 1789, eight of which cruised in the "Straits of Belleisle," six of
which obtained about 50 barrels each of sperm oil, the other two about 80 barrels each.
In the early records of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies are numerous orders
relating to drift whales, among which we find the following : "At a session of the general court,
the first of the 8th mouth, 1645," it was ordered as one of the duties of the Auditor-General,
" that he shall take notice and looke aftr wafes, strayes, goods lost, shipwrecks, whales, &c., or
any such things of y* like nature, wr ye pticuler owner is not knowne ; and ye country may claiine
a priviledge in or comon right unto.'H July 4, 1656, it was " ordered by the court that wheras
the countrey hath receiued great dammage by a defect in the order about the barrell of oyle due for
euery whale taken on drift or cast on shore as is expressed in the said order by leakquage of
Caske or otherwise; tho court bane ordered that for the future all such oyle as shalbee due and
payable as aforsaid shalbee deliuered att Boston, viz, a full barrell of march aiitable oyle for euery
whale and the fraight therof discharged by those that deliuer it, the said oyle to bee deliuered att
Boston to such as the Treasurer shall appoint from yeare to year and a receipt taken from such
as to whome it is deliuered shalbee a discharge to those that deliuer it."} In 1661 it was
"enacted by the Court and the Authentic therof that whosoeuer taketh any whale on drift att
sea without those bounds and limites alreddy sett and bring them on shore hee shall have the one
halfe and the Countrey the other halfej and the Countrey to allow Caske for theirej?te of the oyle.
That whosoeuer shall find any whale on shore on the Cape or elsewhere that is out of any Townese
bounds and is on the Countreyes bounds or liinittes shall allow the Countrey two hogsheads of oyle
cleare and payed to the Countrey ."§
On the 3d of June, 1662, it was resolved that "wheras there hath bine much controversye
occa tioned for want of a full and cleare settlement of matter relateing into such whales as by Gods
•Quoted by Starbuek, 1. a., p. ;>. t Plymouth Colony Records, XI, p. 20»
tRecords of Massachusetts, II, p. 143. $ Hid., XI. p. 66.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 29
providence doe fall iiito any pte of this Jurisdiction. This Court doth therfore order for the pre-
vention of any discontent or controversy for tlir future and for a iinall Issue and settlement soe
farr as in the Court lyeth about the saint- ; that for all such whales as by Gods providence shalbee
cast on shore on any pte of this gournieiit or shalbee by any cut vp att sea, and brought on shore in
the Goirment ; there shalbee for every such Uish one full hogshead of Marchantable oyle payed
into the Count rev delivered alt Boston by such to\vnes or psons as are Interested in the lauds where
they fall or shall soe cutt vp any tlish att sea; and iucaso that any Ih'sh bee soe considerably torne
or wasted that a full quarter pte bee gone; the.u to jiay but halfe a hogshead and for such Incon-
siderable ]iet-ce.s of I'tish as are lesse then halfe they shall pay nothing; and for the resedew of such
tlish or the produce of them as remaines the Countu-yes pte being discharged. It shalbee freely
att the dispose of such Townrs when- it falls or for the Uenifef t of such as Cutt them Vp; if taken
on drift without such bounds as have bine formerly sett; the same being still continewed."*
On the 4th of November, 1690, it was—
"Ordered, that tor the prevention of contests and suits by whale killers: —
"1. This Court cloth order, that all whales killed or wounded by any man & left at sea, sd
•,vha!e killers that killed or wounded s'1 whale shall presently repaire to some prudent person
whome the Court shall appoint, and there give in the wounds of sb whale, the time & place
when & where killed or wounded; and s'1 person so appointed shall presently comitt it to record,
and his record shall be allowed good testimony in law.
" 2. That all whales brought or cast ou shore shall be viewed by the persons so appointed, or
his deputy, before they are cut or any way defaced after come or brought on shore, and sd viewer
shall take a particular record of the wounds of sd whale, & time & place where & when brought
on shore ; & his record shall be good testimony in law, and sd viewer shall take care for securing
sd fish for the owner.
" 3. That whatever person or persons shall cut up or deface any whale fish, by cutting, stab-
bing, or launcing, after come on shore or at sea, if a drift, unless of necessity to towe it to shore,
before it hath beeu viewed by the person appointed thereto, and a record taken by him, shall lose
their right to sd fish, & pay a fine of ten pounds to the county. And sd viewers shall seize sd
fish for the owners use, on the effects thereof, and sd viewer shall have power to make a deputy or
deputies under his hand, and to have six shillings for [each] whale so viewed & recorded of the
owners thereof.
" 4. That whosoever find, takes, or cuts up any drift whale found on the stream, a mile from
the shore, not appearing to be killed by any man, shall be thet first sieze and secure them, paying
an hogshea'd of oyle to y county for every such whale."
MARTHA'S VINEYARD.
The inhabitants of this island were early engaged in boat whaling. According to Starbuck
the earliest mention of whales at this place occurs in November, 1652, when Thomas Daggett and
William Weeks were appointed "whale cutters for this year." In the following April it was
" Ordered by the town that the whale is to be cut out freely, four men at one time, and four at
another, and so every whale, beginning at the east end of the town." In 1690 Mr. Sarson and
William Vinson were appointed by "the proprietors of the whale" to oversee the cutting and
sharing of all whales cast on shore within the bounds of Edgartowu, "they to have as much for
their care as one cutter."
* Ply. Col. Bee., zi, p. 134. ilbid., vi, p. 252.
30 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
"In 1692," says Starbuck, " came the inevitable dispute of proprietorship. A whale was cast
oil shore at Edgarfown by the proprietors, ' seized by Benjamin Smith and Mr. Joseph Norton in
their behalf,' which was also claimed by 'John Steel, harpooner, on a whale design, as being killed
by him.' It was settled by placing the whale in the custody of Richard Sarsou, esq., and Mr.
Benjamin Smith, as agents of the proprietors, to save by trying out and securing the oil; 'and
that no distribution be made of the said whale, or effects, till after fifteen days are expired after
the date hereof, that so such persons who may pretend an interest or claim, in the whale, may
make their challenge; and in case such challenge appear sufficient to them, then they may deliver
the said whale or oyl to the challenger; otherwise to give notice to the proprietors, who may do as
the matter may require. By the inhabitants of Martha's Vineyard, in 1702-'3, there appear to
have been several whales lulled. The following entry occurs under that date in the court records:
'The marks of the \\ hales killed by John Butler and Thomas Lothrop. One whale lanced near or
over the shoulder blade, near the left shoulder blade only ; another killed with an iron forward
in the left side, marked W; and upon the right side marked with a pocket-knife T. L.; and the
other had an iron hole over the right shoulder-blade, with two lance holes in the same side, one in
the belly. These whales were all killed about the middle of February last past; all great whales,
betwixt (i and 7 and 8-foot bone, which are all gone from us. A true account given by John
Butler from us, and recorded Per me, Thomas Trapp, clerk.' "
NANTTJCKET.
The history of shore-whaling at Nantucket begins with the occupancy of that island by Euro-
peans, about the year 1640, although prior to that time the Indians were doubtless accustomed to
occasionally capture a whale. "The very earliest account of a capture," says Mr. C. S. Raleigh,
"was in the year 1608, when a party of Indians killed a humpback whale which got stranded on
a part of Nantucket, called Chiton, in the inner harbor." "The first whaling expedition," says
Macy. "was undertaken by some of the original purchasers of the island; the circumstances of
which are handed down by tradition, and are as follows: A whale, of the kind called 'scragg,'
came into the harbor and continued there three days. This excited the curiosity of the people,
and led them to devise measures to prevent his return out of the harbor. They accordingly
invented and caused to be wrought for them a harpoon, with which they attacked and killed the
whale. This first success encouraged them to undertake whaling as a permanent business ; whales
being at that time numerous in the vicinity of the shores."*
The islanders were, anxious to rugate in the whaling industry and, according to Starbuck,t
recorded a memorandum of a proposed agreement with one James Loper, in which it is said that
the said James "doth Ingage to carrey on a Desigue of Whale Catching on the Island of Nan-
tucket that is to say James In gages to be a third in all Respects, and som of the Town Ingages
also to carrey on the other two thirds with him in like manner — the town doth also consent that
first one company shall begin, and afterwards the rest of the freeholders or any of them have
Liberty to set up another Company provided they make a tender to those freeholders that have
no share in the first company and if any refuse the rest may go on themselves, and the town doth
engage that no other Company shall be allowed hereafter ; also, whoever kill any whales, of the
Company or Companies aforesaid, they are to pay to the Town for every such whale five shillings
and for the Incoragemeut of the said James Loper the Town doth grant him ten acres of Land in
surne Couvenaut place that he may chuse in (Wood Laud Except) and also liberty for the com-
monage of three cows and Twenty sheep and one horse with necessary wood and water for his
" MACY : Hist. Nantucket, p. 28. t Report U. S. Fish Com., 1875-76.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 31
use, on Conditions that lie follow (lie trade of whalling ou this Island two years in all seasons
thereof beginning the first of March next Insuing; also he is to build upon his Land and when
he leaves Inhabiting upon this Island then he is first to offer his Land to the Town at a valuable,
price and if the Town do not buy it he may sell it to whom he please ; the commonage is granted
only for the1 time of his staying !•< '. t the same meeting," continues Starbuck, "John Sav-
idge had a grant made to him, upon condition that he took up bis residence ou the island for the
space of three years, and also that he should ; follow his trade of a cooper upon the island, as the
Town or whale Company ha\e need to employ him.' Loper beyond a doubt never improved this
opportunity offered him of immortalizing himself', bnt Savidge did, and a, perverse world has,
against his own will, handed down to posterity the name of Loper, who did not come, while it has
rather ignored that of Savidge, who did remove to That island."
In the mean time the people of ( 'ape Cod were becoming more proficient in whaling than those
of Nantucket, so that the latter sent TO the cape in IG'JO, and "employed a man by the name of
Ichabod Paddock to instruct them in the manner of killing whales and extracting their oil."*
From small beginnings The industry increased, and reached its greatest prosperity in 1726, when,
says Maey, eighty-six were taken, "a greater number than was obtained in any one year, either
before or since that date. The greatest number ever killed and brought to the shore in one day
was eleven." Shore whaling at this period was the principal employment of the islanders. "The
Indians even manifested a disposition for fishing of every kind, readily joined with the whites. in
this new pursuit, and willingly submitted to any station assigned them. By their assistance, the
whites were enabled to fit out and man a far greater number of boats than they could have done
of themselves. Nearly every boat was manned, in part, many almost entirely, by natives ; some
of the most active, of them were made steersmen, and some were allowed even to head the boats;
thus encouraged, they soon became experienced whalemen, and capable of conducting any part
of the business."
The following incident illustrates their bravery when in danger:
"It happened once, when there were about thirty boats about six miles from shore, that
the wind came round to the northward and blew with great violence, attended with snow. The
men all rowed hard, but made but little headway. In one of the boats were four Indians and
two white men. An old Indian in the head of the boat, perceiving that the crew began to he-
disheartened, spake out loud in his own tongue, and said, ' Momadichchator auqua sarshlcee sarrikee
plncliee eynoo sememoocli'kee cliaquanl's -irihclu'c phirlicc eynoo;' which in English is, 'Pull ahead with
courage ; do not be disheartened ; we shall not be lost now ; there are too many Englishmen to
be lost now.' His speaking in this manner gave the crew new courage. They soon perceived
that they made headway, and after long rowing they all got safe on shore."t
Whales were abundant close in shore for many years, so that a plentiful supply of oil was
obtained without going out of sight of land. "The south side of the island," says Hector St.
John, " was divided into four equal parts, and each part was assigned to a company of six, which,
though thus separated, still carried on their business in common. In the middle of this distance
they erected a mast, provided with a sufficient number of rounds, and near it they built a tem-
porary hut where five of the associates lived, whilst the sixth, from his high station, carefully
looked toward the sea, in order to observe the spouting of whales." f
"The process of savin// the whales, " says Macy, "after they had been killed and towed ashore,
was to use a crab, an instrument similar to a capstan, to heave and turn the blubber off as fast as
•MACY: op. <• tM ass. Jlisl. Sue. Coll., iii j>. 175.
t JLetturs iruui uu Amui-icuu i'urtuer; Hrrtnr St. .lobn ('revem-m ; jmlilislinl l?8i.
32 HISTORY AOT) METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
it was cut. The blubber was then put iuto their carts and carried to their try -houses, which, at
that early period, were placed near to their dwelling-houses, where the oil was boiled out and
fitted for market." *
Shore- whaling continued till about the middle of the eighteenth century, when whales became
scarce and were pursued by vessels, when the boat-whaling, as a regular business, was, according
to Macy, abandoned. "The first sperm-whale known to the islanders was found ashore on the
southwest part of Nantucket. It caused considerable excitement, some demanding a part of the
prize under one pretense, some under another, and all were anxious to behold so strange an
animal. There were so many claimants of the prize, that it was difficult to determine to who it
should belong. The natives claimed it because they found it ; the whites, to whom the natives
made known their discovery, claimed it by a right comprehended, as they affirmed, in the pur-
chase of the island by the original patent. An officer of the crown made his claim, and pretended
to seize the fish in the name of his majesty, as being property without any particular owner.
After considerable discussion between these contending parties, it was finally settled that the
white inhabitants, who first found the whale, should share the prize equally amongst themselves.
The teeth, which were considered very valuable, had been extracted by a white man and an Indian,
before any others had any knowledge of the whale. All difficulty being now settled, a company
was formed, who commenced cutting the whale in pieces convenient for transportation to their try-
works. The sperm procured from the head was thought to be of great value for medical purposes.
It was used both as an internal and external application ; and such was the credulity of the people,
that they considered it a certain cure for all diseases ; it was sought with avidity, and, for awhile,
was esteemed to be worth its weight in silver. The whole quantity of oil obtained from this
whale is not known."!
RHODE ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT.
In 1731 Rhode Island passed an act for the encouragement of the fisheries, giving " a bounty
of five shillings for every barrel of whale oil, one penny a pound for bone, and five shillings a
quintal for codfish, caught by Rhode Island vessels, and brought into this Colony." f
The fishery had been carried on to some extent in boats from the shore, and whales were taken
in the waters of Narragansct Bay.
The first official document to be found connecting the State of Connecticut with the whale
fishery is a resolve passed at a meeting of the general court held at Hartford, May 25, 1647, which
says:
" Yf Mr. Whiting, wth any others shall make tryall and prsecute a designe for the takeing of
whale wthin these libertyes, and if vppou tryall wthin the terme of two yeares. they shall like to
goe on, noe others shalbe suffered to interrupt the, for the tearine of seauen yeares."§
It is probable that drift-whales were occasionally taken along the coast of Connecticut in early
times, but we find no special reference to show that boat-whaling was ever engaged in by the
inhabitants.
NEW YORE.
Long Island, with its long stretch of sandy beaches, was in early times a favorite resort for
boat whalemen. It was the rival of Cape Cod, and the inhabitants on its eastern end found much
profit in capturing whales, and shipping oil and bone to London. The following interesting account
of shore-whaling along those shores is taken entire from Mr. Starbuck's|| report on the whale
fishery.
* Hist. Nantucket, p. 31. ilbid., p. :«. t ARNOLD : Hist. Rhode Island, ii, p. 103.
$ Comi. Col. Reu., i, p. 154. 1 U. 8. Fisli Commissioner's Report, Part IV, 1875-76.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 33
" It is probably safe to assert that the first organized prosecution of the American whale-fishery
was made along the shores of Long Island. The town of Southampton, which was settled in 1640
by an offshoot from the Massachusetts Colony at Lynn, was quick to appreciate the value of this
source of revenue. In March, 1644, the town ordered the town divided into four wards of eleven
persons to each ward, to attend to the drift-whales cast ashore. When such an event took place
two persons from each ward (selected by lot) were to be employed to cut it up. 'And every
Inhabitant with his child or servant that is above sixteen years of age shall have in the Division of
the other part,' (i. e. what remained after the cutters deducted the double share they were, ex-officio,
entitled to) 'an equall proportion provided that such person when yt falls into his ward a suffi-
cient man to be imployed about yt.'* Among the names of those delegated to each ward are
many whose descendants became prominent in the business as masters or owners of vessels— the
Coopers, the Sayres, Mulfords, Peirsons, Hedges, Howells, Posts, and others. A few years later
the number of 'squadrons' was increased to six.
" In February, 1645, the town ordered that if any whale was cast ashore within the limits of
the town no man should take or carry away any part thereof without order from a magistrate,
under penalty of twenty shillings. Whoever should find any whale or part of a whale, upon giv-
ing notice to a magistrate, should have allowed him five shillings, or if the portion found should
not be worth five shillings the finder should have the whole. ' And yt is further ordered that yf
any shall finde a whale or any peece thereof upon the Lord's day then the aforesaid shillings shall
not be due or payable.' t ' This last clause,' says Ho well, ' appears to be a very shrewd thrust at
"mooning" on the beach on Sundays.'
"It was customary a few years later to fit out expeditious of several boats each for whaling
along the coast, the parties engaged camping' out on shore during the night. These expeditions
were usually gone about one or two weeks. f Indians were usually employed by the English, the
whites furnishing all the necessary implements, and the Indians receiving a stipulated proportion
of oil in payment.
"At Easthampton on the 6th of November, 1651, ' It was Ordered that Rodman Mulford shall
call out ye Town by succession to loke out for whale.'§ Easthampton, however, like every other
town where whales were obtainable, seems to have had its little unpleasantnesses on the subject,
for in 1653 the town ' Ordered that the share of whale now in controversie between the Widow
Talmage and Thomas Talmage ' (alas for the old-time Chesterfieldian gallantry) ' shall be divided
among them as the lot is.'|| In the early deeds of the town the Indian grantors were to be allowed
the fins and tails of all drift-whales; and in the deed of Montauk Island and Point, the Indians
and whites were to be equal sharers in these prizes, fl In 1672 the towns of Easthampton, South-
ampton, and South wold presented a 'memorial to the court at Whitehall ' setting forth that they
have spent much time and paines, and the greatest part of their estates, in settling the trade of
whale-fishing in the adjacent seas, having endeavoured it above these twenty yeares, but could not
bring it to any perfection till within these 2 or 3 yeares last past. And it now being a hopefull
trade at New Yorke. in America, the Governor and the Dutch there do require ye Petitioners to
come under their patent, and lay very heavy taxes upon them beyond any of his MatieB subjects in
New England, and will not permit the petitioners to have any deputys in Court,** but being chiefs,
do impose what Laws they please upon them, and insulting very much over the Petitioners
* HOWELL : Hist, of Southampton, p. 179. t Ibid., p. 184. t Ibid., p. 183.
§ Bicentennial Address at Easthamptoti, 1850, by Henry P. Hedges, p. 8. || Ibid., p. 8. 11 Ibid.
**Iu this petition is an early assertion oi' the twiuship of taxation and representation, for which Massachusetts
aud her ofl'shoots WPI-H pver strenuous.
SEC. T, VOL. II 3
34 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
threaten to cut down their timber which is but little they have to Casks for oyle, altho' the Pet™
purchased their landes of the Lord Sterling's deputy, above 30 yeares since, and have till now
under the Government and Patent of Mr. Winthrop, belonging to Conitycut Patent, which lyeth
far more convenient for ye Petitioners assistance in the aforesaid Trade.' They desire, therefore,
either to continue under the Connecticut government, or to be made a free corporation. This peti-
tion was referred to the ' Council on Foreign Plantations.'
" This would make the commencement of this industry date back not far from the year 1650.
In December, 1652, the directors of Dutch West India Company write to Director General Peter
Stuyvesaut, of New York : ' In regard to the whale-fishery we understand that it might be taken
in hand during some part of the year. If this could be done with advantage, it would be a very
desirable matter, and make the trade there flourish and animate many people to try their good
luck in that branch.' In April (4th), 1656, the council of New York ' received the request of Hans
Jongh, soldier and tanner, asking for a ton of train-oil or some of the fat of the whale lately cap-
tured: "
In 1669 Mr. Maverick writes from New York to Colonel Nichols, as follows :
" On ye East end of Long Island there were twelve or thirteen whales taken before ye end of
March, and what since wee heare not ; here are dayly some seen in the very harbour, sometimes
within Nutt Island. Out of the Pinnace, the other week, they struck two, but lost both, the iron
broke in one, the other broke the warpe. The Governour hath encouraged some to follow this
designe. Two shollops made for itt, but as yett wee doe not heare of any they have gotten."*
" In 1672," continues Starbuck, " the town of Southampton passed an order for the regulation of
whaling, which, in the latter part of the year, received the following confirmation from Governor
Lovelace : ' Whereas there was an ordinance made at a Towne-Meeting in South Hampton upon the
Second Day of May las relating to the Regulation of the Whale ffishing and Employment of the
Indyans therein, wherein particularly it is mentioned. That whosoever shall Hire an Indyan to
go a-Whaling, shall not give him for his Hire above one Trucking Cloath Coat, for each whale,
hee and his Company shall Kill, or halfe the Blubber, without the Whale Bone under a Penalty
therein exprest: Upon Considerac'on had thereupon, I have thought good to Allow of the said
Order, And do hereby Confirm the same, until some inconvenience therein shall bee made appeare,
And do also Order that the like Rule shall bee followed at East Hampton and other Places if
they shall finde it practicable amongst them.
" ' Given under my haud in New Yorke, the 28th of Novemb'r, 1672.'
" Upon the same day that the people of Southamption passed the foregoing order, Governor
Lovelace also issued and order citing that in consequence of great abuse to his Royal Highness in
the matter of drift- whales upon Long Island, he had thought fit to appoint Mr. Wm. Osborne and
Mr. John Smith, of Hempstead, to make strict inquiries of Indians and English in regard to the
matter.!
" It was early found to be essential that all important contracts and agreements, especially
' between the English and Indians, relating to the killing of whales should be entered upon the
town books, and signed by the parties in presence of the clerk and certified by him. Boat-
whaling was so generally practiced, and was considered of so much importance by the whole
community, that every man of sufficient ability in the town was obliged to take his turn in watch-
ing for whales from some elevated position on the beach, and to sound the alarm on one being
seen near the coast.'}: Ju April (2d), 1668, an agreement was entered on the records of Easthamp-
' J >oc. ->t' Col. Hist. New York, III p. 183. t N. Y. Col., MSS., General Entries iv, p. 193, Francis Lovelace.
t HONVKI.L : Hint.. .Southampton.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 35
ton, binding certain Indians of Montauket in the sum of £10 sterling to go to sea, whaling, on
account of Jacobus Skallenger and others, of Easthampton, beginning on the 1st of November and
ending on the 1st of the ensuing April, they engaging ' to attend dilligently with all opportuuitie
for ye killing of whales or other fish, for ye sum of three shillings a day for every Indian ; ye sayd
Jacobus Skalleuger and partners to furnish all necessarie craft and tackling convenient for ye
designe.' The laws governing these whaling-companies were based on justice rather than selfish-
ness. Among the provisions was one passed January 4, 1669, whereby a member of one company
finding a dead whale killed by the other company was obliged to notify the latter. A prudent
proviso in the order was that the person bringing the tidings should be well rewarded. If the
whale was found at sea, the killers and finders were to be equal sharers. If irons were found in
the whale, they were to be restored to the owners.* In 1672, John Cooper desired leave to employ
some 'strange Indians' to assist him in whaling, which leave was granted ;t but these Indian
allies required tender handling, and were quite apt to ignore their contracts when a fair excuse
could be found, especially if their hands had already closed over the financial consideration. Two
or three petitions relating to cases of this kind are on file at New York. One of them is from
'Jacob Skallenger, Stephen Hand, James Loper and other adjoined with them in the Whale
Designe at Easthampton,' and was presented in 1675. It sets forth that they had associated
together for the purpose of whaling, and agreed to hire twelve Indians and man two boats.
Having seen the natives yearly employed both by neighbors and those in surrounding towns,
they thought there could be no objection to their doing likewise. Accordingly, they agreed in
June with twelve Indians to whale for them during the following season. ' But it, fell out soe that
foure of the said Indians (competent & experienced men) belonged to Shelter-Island whoe with the
rest received of your petition™ in pt. of their hire or wages 25s. a peece in hand at the time of the
contract, as the Indian Custome is and without which they would not engage themselves to goe to
Sea as aforesaid for your Peticon™.' Soon after this there came an order from the governor requir-
ing, in consequence of the troubles between the English and the aborigines, that all Indians should
remain in their own quarters during' the winter. 'And some of the towne of Easthampton wante-
ing Indians to make up theire erne for whaleing they take advantage of your hon™ sd Ordre thereby
to hinder your peticon™ of the said foure Shelter-Island Indians. One of ye Overseers being of the
Company that would soe hinder your petition™. And Mr. Barker warned yor peticon™ not to en-
tertaine the said foure Indians without licence from your honr. And although some of your peti-
coners opposites in this matter of great weight to them seek to prevent yor peticon™ from haveing
those foure Indians under pretence of zeal in fulfilling yr hon™ order, yet it is more then apparent
that they endeavor to break yor peticon™ Company in y* maner that soe they themselves may have
opportunity out of the other eight Easthampton Indians to supply theire owne wants.' After rep-
resenting the loss liable to accrue to them from the failure of their design and the inability to hire
Easthampton Indians, on account of their being already engaged by other companies, they ask
relief in the premises,J which Governor Andross, in an order dated November 18, 1675, grants
them, by allowing them to employ the aforesaid Shelter-Island Indiaus.§
"Another case is that of the widow of one Cooper, who in 1677 petitions Andross to compel
some Indians who had been hired and paid their advance by her late husband to fulfill to her the
contract made with him, they having been hiring out to other parties since his decease. ||
" This code was very similar to that afterward adopted in the Massachusetts Bay.
tN. Y., Col. MSS.; General Entries, iv, p. •.':;:.. t N. Y. Col. MSS., xxv, Sir Ed. Audross, p. 41.
^Warrants, Orders, Passes, &c., K>74-lti79, p. 161. U N. Y. Col. MSS., xxvi, p. 153.
36 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
"The trade in oil from Long Island early gravitated to Boston and Connecticut, and this was
always a source of much uneasiness to the authorities at New York. The people inhabiting- East-
hamptou, Southampton, and vicinity, settling under a patent with different guarantees from those
allowed under the Duke of York, had little in sympathy with that government, and always turned
toward Connecticut as their natural ally and Massachusetts as their foster mother. Scarcely had
what they looked upon as the tyrannies of the New York governors reduced them to a sort of sub-
jection when they were assailed by a fresh enemy. A sudden turn of the wheel of fortune brought
them, in 1673, a second time under the control of the Dutch. During this interregnum, which lasted
from July, 1673, to November, 1674, they were summoned, by their then conquerors, to send dele-
gates to an assembly to be convened by the temporary rulers. In reply the inhabitants of
Easthamptou, Southampton, Southokl, Seatoocook, and Huntington returned a memorial setting
forth that up to 1664 they had lived quietly and prosperously under the government of Connec-
ticut. Now, however, the Dutch had by force assumed control, and, understanding them to be
well disposed, the people of those parts proffer a series of ten requests. The ninth is the par.
ticular one of interest in this connection, and is the only one not granted. In it they ask, ' That
there be ffree liberty granted ye 5 townes aforesd for ye procuring from any of ye united Collonies
(without molestation on either side:) warpes, irons, or any other necessaries ffor ye comfortable
earring on the whale design.' To this reply is made that it 'cannot in this conjunction of time be
allowed.' ' Why,' says Howell,* "the Council of Governor Colve chose thus to snub the English
in these five towns in the matter of providing a few whale-irons and necessary tackle for capturing
the whales that happened along the coast, is inconceivable;" but it must be remembered that the
English and Dutch had long been rivals in this pursuit, even carrying their rivalry to the extreme
of personal conflicts. The Dutch assumed to be, and practically were, the factors of Europe in
this business at this period, and would naturally be, slow to encourage any proficiency in whaling
by a people upon whom they probably realized that their lease of authority would be brief.
Hence, although they were willing to grant them every other right in common with those of their
own nationality, maritime jealousy made this one request impracticable. How the people of Long
Island enjoyed this state of affairs is easy to infer from their petition of 1672. The oppressions
alike of New York governors and Dutch conquerors could not fail to increase the alienation that
difference of habits, associations, interests, and rights had implanted within them. Among other
arbitrary laws was one compelling them to carry all the oil they desired to export to New York to be
cleared, a measure which produced so much dissatisfaction and inconvenience that it was beyond
a doubt "more honored in the breach than in tue observance." At times some captain, more
scrupulous than the rest, would obey the letter of the law or procure a remission of it. Thus, in
April, 1678, Benjamin Alford, of Boston, in New England, merchant, petitioned Governor Brock-
holds for permission to clear with a considerable quantity of oil that he had bought at Southampton
directly from that port t'> London, he paying all duties required by law. This he desires to do in
order to avoid the hazard of the voyage to New York and the extra danger of leakage thereby
incurred. He was accordingly allowed to clear as he desired, t
"Hist, of Southampton, p. 62.
t N. Y. Col. MSS., xxvii, pp. 65, 66. Accompanying the order is a blank clearance reading as follows : " Permit!.
& suffer the good — — of — — A. B. Commander, bound for the Port of London in Old England to passe from the
Harbor at the North-Sea near South*0" at the East End of Long Isl. with her loading of Whale Oyl & Whalebone
without any manner of Lett Hindrance or Molestation, shee having bernc rlc-aivd by order from the Custom house here
& given security accordingly. Given under my hand in N. Y. this 20th day of April in the 30th yeare of his Matie>
raigne A° Domini 1(578.
" To all his Ma*588 Offic™ whom this may Coucerue."
THE WHALE KISIIKHY. 37
" In 168-4 an act for the 'Encouragement of Trade and Navigation' within the province of New
York was passed, laying a duty of 10 per cent, on all oil and bone exported from New York to
any other port or place except directly to England, Jamaica, Barbadoes, or some other of the
Caribbean Islands.
"In May, IfiSS, the Duke of York instructs his agent, John Leven, to inquire into the number
of whales killed during the past six years within the province of New York, the produce of oil
ami bone, and 'about his share.'* To this Leveu makes reply that there has been no record kept,
and that the oil and bone were shared by the companies killing the fish. To Leven's statement,
Andross. who is in England defending his colonial government, asserts that all those whales tha
were driven ashore were killed and claimed by the whalers or Indiaus.f
" In August, 1088, we find the first record of an intention to obtain sperm oil. Among the
records in the State archives at Boston is a petition Irom Timotheus Vauderueu, commander of
the brigautiue Happy Return, of New Yorke, to Governor Audross, praying for 'Licence and Per-
mission, with one Equipage Consisting in twelve mariners, twelve, whalemen and six Diners —
from this Port, upon a fishing design about the Bohames Islands, And Cap florida, for sperma
Coeti whales and Racks: And so to returns for this Port.'f Whether this voyage was ever
undertaken or not we have no means of knowing, but the petition is conclusive evidence that
there were men in the country familiar even then with some of the haunts of the sperm-whale and
with his capture.
*' Francis Nicholson, writing from Fort James, December, 1688, says : l Our whalers have had
pretty good luck, killing about Graves End three large whales. On the Easte End aboute five or
six small ones.'§ During this same year the town of Easthatnptoii being short of money, debtors
were compelled to pay their obligations in produce, and in order to have some system of exchange
the trustees of the town 'being Legally met March 6, 1688-9 it was agreed that this year's Towne
rate should be held to be good pay if it be paid as Follows:
£. s. d.
Dry merchantable hides att 0 0 6
Indian Corn 0 3 0
Whale Bone 3 feet long and upwards 0 0 8. '
NOTE. — It is estimated by George R. Howells, from papers on tile in the office of the secretary of state of New
York, that the boat-whalemen of Southampton in 1637 took '2,148 barrels of oil.
•' In July, 1708, Lord Cornbury writes again to the board of trade regarding New York
affairs.|| In his letter he says : ' The quantity of Train Oyl made in Long Island is very uncer-
tain, some years they have much more fish than others, for example last year they made four
thousand Barrils of Oyl, and this last Season they have not made above Six hundred: About
the middle of October they begin to look out for fish, the Season lasts all November, December,
January, February, and part of March; a Yearling will make about forty Barils of Oyl, a Stunt
or Whale two years old will make sometimes fifty, sometimes sixty Barrils of Oyl, and the
largest whale that I have heard of in these Parts, yielded one hundred and ten barrels of Oyl,
and twelve hundred Weight of Bone.'
" In 170!) the fishery had attained such value on Long Island that some parties attempted to
reduce it, so far as possible, to a monopoly, and grants of land previously made by Governor
Fletcher and others, in a reckless and somewhat questionable manner were improved for per-
sonal benefit. Earl Bellomont, in commenting on these irregular practices, writes to the lords of
trade, under date of July 2 of that year,fl citing, among others, one Colonel Smith, who, he states,
' \. Y. Col. Records, iii, p. 282. t Ibid., p. 311. t Mass. Col. MSS., Usurpation, vi, p. 126.
j Ibid., iv, p. 303. || N. Y. Col. Rec., v, p. 60. f Ibid., iv, p. 535.
38 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
' has got the beach on the sea shore for fourty miles together, after an odd manner as I have been
told by some of the inhabitants * * * having forced the town of Southampton to take a
poore £10 for the greatest part of the said beach, which is not a valuable consideration in law,
for Colonel Smith himself own'd to me that that beach was very profitable to him for whale fish-
ing, and that one year he cleared £500, by whales taken there.'
" In 1716, Samuel Mulford, of Easthampton, in a petition to the King, gave a sketch of the
progress of this industry in that viciuity.* In the recital of the grievances of his neighbors and
himself, he writes that ' the inhabitants of the said Township and parts adjacent did from the
first Establishment of the said Colony of New Tork enjoy the Privilege & Benefit of fishing for
whale & applying ye same to their own use as their undoubted right and property.'! By his
petition it appears further that in 1664 Governor Nicolls and council directed that drift-whales
should pay a duty of every sixteenth gallon of oil to the government, ' exempting the whales that
were killed at Sea by persons who went on that design from any duty or imposition.' Governor
Dongan also claimed duty on drift-whales, and he also exempted those killed at sea. 'There was
no pretence,' under Dongau, ' to seize such whales or to exact anything from the fishermen on
that account, being their ancient right and property. Thus the inhabitants had the right of fish-
ing preserved to them, and the Crown the benefit of all drift Whales, and everything seemed well
established between the Crown and the People, who continued chearfully, and with success, to
carry on the said fishing trade.' This state of affairs continued until 1696, when Lord Corubury
(afterward Earl of Clarendon) became governor. It was theu announced by those in authority
that the whale was a 'Royal Fish,' and belonged to the Crown; consequently all whalers must
be licensed ' for that purpose which he was sure to make them pay for, and also contribute good
part of the fruit of their labour ; no less that a neat 14th part of the Oyle and Bone, when cut up,
and to bring the same to New York an 100 miles distant from their habitation, an exaction so
grievous, that few people did ever comply for it.' \ The result of this policy was to discourage
the fishery, and its importance was sensibly decreased. In 1711 the New York authorities issued
a writ to the sheriifs directing- them to seize all whales. This demand created much disturbance,
but the people, knowing no remedy, submitted with what grace they could to what they felt was
a grievous wrong, and an infringement upon their rights under the patent under which their
settlement was founded. Since that time, Mulford continues, a formal prosecution had been
commenced against him for hiring Indians to assist him in whaling. He concludes his petition
with the assertion that, unless some relief was aiforded, the fishery must be ruined, since ' the
person concerned will not be brought to the hardship of waiting out at sea many months, & the
difficulty of bringing into New York the fish, and at last paying so great a share of their profit.'
" Mulford, during the latter part of his life, was continually at loggerheads with the govern-
ment at New York. A sturdy representative of that Puritan opposition to injustice and wrong
with which the early settlers of Eastern Long Island were so thoroughly imbued, the declining
years of his life were continual eras of contention against the tyrannies and exactions of governors,
whose only interest seemed to be to suck the life blood from the bodies of these unfortunate flies
caught in their spider's-uet, and cast the useless remains remorselessly away. He was one of the
*N. Y. Col. Kec., v, p. 474.
These are undoubtedly what the, authorities were pleased to term "Massachusetts notions."
t It was these outrageously unjust laws that brought the government into the notorious disrepute it attained
with its outlying dependencies from 1675 to 1720. In March, 1693, the council of Lord Cornbury declared certain
drift-whales the property of the Crown (which apparently meant a minimum amount to the King and a maximum
share to the governor), "when the subject can make no just claim of having killed them." One Richard Floyd
having offered a reward to any parties bringing him information of such whales, the council ordered an inquiry into
the matter in order to prevent such practices in the future. (Council Minutes, viii, p. 6.)
\viiALK 1'isiiKKY. :;<.)
remonstrants against flu- annexation of the eastern towns to the New York government, and irom
1700 to 17L'0 was the delegate from these towns to tbe assembly. In 1715 the opposition of the
government to his constituency reached the point of a personal conflict with him. In a speech
delivered in the assembly in this year he boldly and unsparingly denounced the authorities as
tyrannical, extravagant, and dishonest. He cited numerous instances of injustices from officers
of the customs to the traders of and to his section. While grain was selling in Boston at 6s. per
bushel, and .only commanding one-half of that in New York, his people were compelled by existing
laws to lose this difference in value. While the government was complaining of poverty and the
lack of disposition on the part of the people to furnish means for its subsistence, the governor had
received, says Mulford, during the past three years, three times the combined income of the
governors of Massachusetts, Ehode Island, and Connecticut. In 1716 the assembly ordered this
speech to be put into the hands of the speaker, but Mulford, without hesitation, caused it to be
published and circulated.* From this time forth the war upon him was, so far as the government
was concerned, a series of persecutions, but Mulford undauntedly braved them all and in the end
was triumphant. Quite a number of letters passed between the governor and himself, and between
them both and the lords of trade in London. As an earnest of the feeling his opposition had
stirred up, the governor commenced a suit against him in the supreme court, the judges of which
owed their appointment to the executive. Shortly after this, Governor Hunter, in a communi-
cation to the lords of trade regarding the state of affairs in the province, writes that he is informed
that Mulford, who 'has continually flown in face of government,' and always disputed with the
Crown the right of whaling, has gone to London to urge his case.t He states that ' that poor,
troublesome old man' is the only mutineer in a province otherwise quiet (an assertion that
evidenced either a reckless disregard for truth, or a want of knowledge of affairs inexcusably
culpable); that the case he pleads has been brought before the supreme court and decided against
him, and Mulford is the only man who disputes the Crown's right, and the good governor
charitably recommends their lordships to ' bluff him.'| Still later, Hunter states that it was the
custom long before his arrival to take out whaling licenses. Many came voluntarily and did so.
If whaling is ' decayed,' it was not for want of whalemen, for the number increases yearly ; ' but
the truth of the matter is, that the Town of Boston is the Port of Trade of the People inhabiting
that end of Long Island of late years, so that the exportation from hence of that commodity must
in the Books be less than formerly.' The perquisites arising from the sale of these licenses were of
no account in themselves, but yielding in this matter would only open a gap for the disputation of
every perquisite of the goverument.§
* A copy of this speech is bound in an old volume of the Boston News-Letter, in the library of the Boston Athenaum.
tin the address of H. P. Hedges at the Bi-Centennial celebration at Easthaiupton, iu 1850, he says, whenMulford
finally repaired to London to present the case to the King, he was obliged to conceal his intention. Leaving South-
ampton secretly, he landed at Newport, walked to Boston, and from thence embarked for London. Arrived there, he
" presented his memorial, which it is said attracted much attention, ami was read by him in the House of Commons."
He returned home in triumph, having obtained the desired end. Atthis time he was seventy-one years old. "Songs
and rejoicings," says . I. Lyon Gardiner (vide Hedge's Address, p. 21), "took place among the whalemen of Suffolk
County upon his arrival, on account of his having succeeded in getting ibe King's sharu given np." It is related of
him (Ibid., p. 68) that while at the court of St. James, being somewhat verdant, he was much annoyed by pickpockets.
As a palliative, he had a tailor sew several fish-hooks on the inside of his pockets, and soon after one of the fraternity
was caught. This incident being published at the time won for him an extensive notoriety. He was representative
from East Hampton from 1715 to 1720, and died in 1725, aged eighty years.
t N. Y. Col. Eec., v, 460. This assertion must be inexcusably inaccurate, for it was unquestionably on the ground
of his sturdy defense of their rights that the people of Easthainpton so steadily returned him to the assembly.
§ N. Y. Col. Eec., v, p. 484. This admission of Hunter's of the smallness of the revenue is indisputable evidence of
his incompetence, and of the truth of Mulford's assertion of the ultimate ruin of the whale-fishery under such restric-
tions.
40 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
"To this the lords of trade reply :* 'Ton may intimate in your letter to our Secretary of 22d
November last that the Whale fishery is reserved to the Crown by your Pateuts : as we can find no
such thing in your Commission, you will explain what you mean by it. ' Mulford is now in London,
and desires dispatch in the decision in regard to this matter, pending which the lords desire to know
whether dues have been paid by any one; if so, what amount has been paid, and to what purpose
this revenue has been applied. They close their letter with the following sentence, which would
hardly seeui open to any danger of misconstruction : ' Upon thin occasion we must observe to you,
that ire hopeyou trill give all due incovragement to that Trade.' Evidently the case of Mulford vs. Hunter
looks badly for the governor. Still, Hunter is loth to yield readily, and the discussion is further
prolonged.
"It is now 1718. Governor Hunter, in his answer to the inquiries of their lordships, says
Commission was issued giving power ' Cognosceudi de Flotsam, Jetsoin, Lagon, Deodandis, &c.,'
follows ' et de Piscibus Itegalibus Sturgeonibus, Balenis Ccetis Porpetiis Delphinis Eeggis. &<•.'
In regard to the income, he again writes that it is inconsiderable; that only the danger of being
accused of giving up the Crown's right would have led him to write about it. In amount, it was
not £20 per annum (corroboratory of Mulford's assertion of its decline), and as the fish had left
this coast, he should not further trouble them about it. Up to the present time all but Mulford
had paid and continued to pay. The subject appears to have been finally referred to the attorney-
general, and the governor says (1719), waiting his opinion, he has surceased all demands till it
comes. The question must have been left in a state of considerable mistiness, however, for in 1720
Governor Burnett informs the lords, in a letter which indicates a satisfied feeling of compromise
between official dignity and the requirements of the trade, that he remits the 5 per centum on the
whale fishery, but asserts the King's rights by still requiring licenses, though in ' so doing he
neglects his own profit,' ; and this,' he adds, 'has a good effect on the country.' Under his admin-
istration the act for the encouragement of the whale fishery was renewed." t
4. BOAT WHALING IN TSE PRESENT CENTURY.
Within the present century shore whaling has been prosecuted to some extent at .various
points on the Atlantic coast, from Maine to South Carolina. The business has been profitable at
Provincetown, Mass., and at Beaufort, N. C. At the former place during the spring of 1880, forty-
eight whales, valued at $14,037, were captured; at the latter place the average annual catch is
four whales, valued at $4,500. The total value of the shore whaling on the entire coast in 1880
reached about $18,000, which is far above the average year's work. We are indebted to Mr. Earll
for facts about .this fishery at Maine, and the southern North Carolina coast, and to Captain
Atwood for an account of the business at Provincetown.
COAST OF MAINE.
Shore-whaling in the vicinity of Tremout began about 1840. Mr. Benjamin Beaver and a
small crew of men caught three or more whales annually for about twenty years, but gave up the
business in 1860. No more whales were taken from this time till the spring of 1880, when one
was taken and brought into Bass Harbor, and yielded 1,200 gallons of oil, but no bone of value.
*N. Y. Col. Eec., v, p. 510.
t ALEXANDER STARBUCK: Hist. Am. Whale Fishery, in U. S. Fish Com. Report, 1875-76.
THK WHAL!<; FISHERY. 41
('apt. .1. r.ickford, a native ol' Winter Harbor, is reported by Mr. C. P. Guptil to have cruised
off the coast in lSl."i in schooner IIn/,/a, and to have captured eight whales, one of which was a
finback, the rest humpback whales. This schoouer made only one season's work, but in 1870 Cap-
tain Hir.kford again tried his luck in a vessel from Prospect Harbor and captured one finback
whale.
Mr. Harll states that according to Capt. George A. Clark and Captain Bickford whaling was
extensively carried on from Prospect Harbor for many years. The fishing began about 1810,
when Stephen Clark and Mr. L. Ililler, of Rochester, Mass., came to the region, and built try-
works on the shore, having their lookout station on the top of an adjoining hill. The whales
usually followed the menhaden to the shore, arriving about the first of June and remaining till
September. When one was seen the boats, armed with harpoons and lances, immediately put
out from the land and gave chase. If they succeeded in killing the whale, it was towed to the
flats of the harbor at high water, where it was secured and left to be cut up at low tide. Ten
years later they began using small vessels in the fishery, and by this means were enabled to go
farther from laud. The fishery was at its height about 1835 to 1840, when an average of six or
seven whales was taken yearly. The largest number taken in any one season was ten. The
-average yield of oil was 25 to 30 barrels for each whale. The business was discontinued about
1860, since which date but one or two whales have been taken.
COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS.
In the early part of the present century whales were abundant along this coast, and Province-
town whalers in small boats frequently captured a large number in a season. The Gloucester
Telegraph of November 6, 1850, says : "A right whale was taken at Provincetown last Thursday
by a party in three boats. It is estimated to yield GO barrels of oil/'
In the Barnstable Patriot of November 12, 1861, is the following item :
•' Whale. — On Saturday morning the spout of a whale which was discovered playing around
off Nauset in the midst of a fleet of some 200 mackerel fishermen was suddenly cut short by a
Nantucket fisherman, the Sam Chase making fast to him. This is the fifth whale taken by Sam
Chase since July 25, and will make about 25 barrels. The five will have made 125 barrels, worth
$1,500."
Whales have from time to time been stranded on the beaches about Cape Ann; several have
also been found by fishing vessels and towed into Gloucester Harbor. In July, 1833, one 50 feet
long, and measuring 10 feet through, was towed into the harbor and tried out on Eastern Point. The
Cape Ann Advertiser of October 21, 1870, records the capture off Eastern Point of a whale 45 feet
in length. In the. spring of 1880 finback whales were unusually abundant in Ipswich and Massa-
chusetts Bays, so that fishermen in their dories were in some cases alarmed for their own safety,
as the whales were darting about in pursuit of schools of herring. Six of this species of whale
were found dead floating in the bay and towed into Gloucester harbor. They had been killed by
Provincetown whalers. Three of them were tried out at Gloucester ; the remainder were allowed
to drift to sea again.
Captain Atwood writes the following account of the shore-whaling at Provincetown in 1880:
"Early in March there came into our bay and harbor immense quantities of herring and shrimp.
They were followed by a great number of finb ack whales, that remained here most of the time in
greater or less numbers until about the middle of May, when they all left the coast. During the
time they were here many of them were killed with bomb-lances. They sank when killed, and
42 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
remained on the bottom some two or three days, when they floated on the surface, and as they
were liable to come up in the night or during rugged weather, when the whalemen were not on
hand to take care of them, many drifted out to sea, and were lost or picked up by Gloucester fish-
ing vessels and towed to that port. A few were brought to Provincetown by these vessels, with
whom the proceeds for the oil were divided. There were brought in and landed at Jonathan
Cook's oil works on Long Point 38 whales, from which the blubber was stripped and the oil
extracted. Two other whales brought in were sold to parties who tcok them away for exhibi-
tion, one to Boston and the other to New York.
"Early in June immense quantities of sand-eels (Ammodytes) came n our harbor and bay and
remained several days. About the 10th of June there appeared plenty of whales feeding on the
sand-eels. They were again attacked "by our men, when a number of them were killed in a few
days, and ten were saved and landed at the oil works. Probably as many more that were not killed
outright received their death wound, went out of the bay, soon after died, and were lost.
" The forty-eight whales delivered at the oil works yielded about 950 barrels of oil, that sold
at an average price of 40 cents per gallon.
" When the first whales were killed it was supposed the whalebone in their mouths was worth-
less, and it was not saved; but subsequently some was saved and sold at 15 cents per pound. The
average quantity of bone in each whale is about 250 pounds. Probably the bone of thirty-five
whales has been saved, making an aggregate of 8,750.
"No whales have come in of late; our men are still anxiously looking for another school,
hoping they will come again and give them another benefit.
" Total for the season's work :
48 whales, 29,925 gallons of oil, at 40 cents $11,970 00
1 whale, sold for exhibit in Boston 350 00
1 whale, sold for exhibit in New York 405 00
8,750 pounds of whalebone from thirty-five whales, at 15 cents 1, 312 50
14,037 50
"Besides the whales saved and taken to Provincetown, many of those lost by our whalers
were towed into other places ; others have drifted on shore at different points. We hear of four
being towed into Gloucester, three into Boston, one to Newburyport, one to Cape Porpoise, one
Portland, one Mount Desert ; two drifted ashore at Scituate, two at Barnstable, one at Brewster,
one at Orleans, two at Wellfleet, one on the back of Cape Cod ; one was stripped of its blubber
at sea by a fishing vessel, that sold it in Boston. The entire catch from March to July was
probably one hundred whales, of which number nearly all were killed by Provincetown whalers.
Three of these whales were humpbacks ; the rest were of the finback species."
In the fall of 1S80 a finback whale about 50 feet long was killed in Cape Cod Bay, and towed to
Boston, where it was sold to an enterprising Yankee, who, after realizing quite a profit by exhibit-
ing it in Boston, conceived the idea of transporting it to Chicago for exhibition. It was accordingly
carefully cleaned and loaded upon a large platform car. Salt and ice were freely used for its
preservation. It reached Chicago, and was shown to the public as one of the wonders of the deep.
The enterprising exhibitor made several thousand dollars by this venture.
The following graphic description of whaling in Massachusetts Bay in 1881 was written for a
Boston newspaper :
" The denizens of Cape Cod have always been an amphibious population, largely taking their
living from, and making their fortunes upon, the waters of the oceans of the world. Especially is
this the case with the people of the lower half of the ' Right Arm,' who are fishers indeed, the
Till'; \\ IIAU<; nsiiKiiY. 4:l>
majority of them taking to the water, like ,\ on ng ducks, immediately alter their advent into a sandy
world, and becoming experts in the navigation of its depths and the capture of its treasures even
before their school days have fully passed.
" Pro vincetown occupies the extremity — the curling finger — of this cape, and its situation is
in every way peculiar. With the exception of a narrow strip or neck of sand heaps which unites
it to the main cape, it is surrounded by water — the salt water of the Atlantic — which rolls
unchecked between its outer shores and those of Europe. Its outer coast line, beginning at a point
opposite the narrow neck alluded to, sweeps around in a grand circle almost the entire circuit of
the compass, its outlines nearly resembling those of a gigantic capital O, as that letter is usually
found in manuscript. The inclosed water of this circle is the harbor of Provincetown, and the
town is built along the inner shore, at the bottom of the basin. Outside is the Kace, Wood End,
and sundry interesting points of light-house, life-saving station, all of vast moment to mariners
and ship-owners. Inside is one of the singular harbors of the world, deep enough and spacious
enough to shelter a fleet of hundreds of the largest ships of the world at one time, and with pecu-
liarities belonging to itself sufficient to make it famous wherever these ships may sail.
"If there are any kinds of fish, or any methods of taking them, which are not familiar to the
waters or the people of Provincetowu, their description is now in order. From the fry and minnow
for pickerel bait up to the 100 barrel right whale, Provincetown watershave witnessed the capture
of all kinds, and have frequently contributed specimens over which savants have puzzled and
wondered. ' The beaches of her shores have received as loot mighty carcases of whales and black-
fish ; shoals of porgies at one time, which all the teams of all the region could hardly remove soon
enough, so immense was the deposit, while fish-weirs (one of them took 700 barrels of mackerel a
few mornings since), try-works, and the implements and appliances of various fisheries mark the
scene in all directions.
" Now, it has been no unusual thing, at any time since the establishment of this exaggerated
fish-net yclept Provincetown, for a whale of some variety to be occasionally stranded upon her
beaches, or captured by her cruisers or boatmen. But it is only within the past three years that
the systematic pursuit of a leviathan within her waters has been established ; in other words, that
the home whale-fishery has been a feature of her business operations. A whale in the harbor of
Provincetown, especially at certain seasons, is almost as common a presence as that of a turtle in
a mill-pond ; but they are usually representatives of a class disliked and scorned by old-school
whalemen, and not remunerative to their capturers, unless the latter be men of enthusiasm and
desperate enterprise. So that, although there are plenty of veteran whalers in the region, it has
been left to the young Provincetowners of the present generation to inaugurate and establish an
enterprise which has already shown good results. One young captain, with his crew, last year
took upward of 250 barrels of oil off Provincetown, and is scoring fair results the present season,
though the conditions have, so far, been very unfavorable. Some of his whales he captured in the
harbor; but mainly his game was chased and killed in the water outside and near by.
"The variety of whale mostly found in Massachusetts Bay waters is the finback, a long,
clean, perfectly formed creature, growing sometimes to 75 or 80 feet in length, but usually from
45 to 55 feet. He is the most complete model of craft for speed and easy working in the water
that can be imagined, and his tail in motion the most perfect development of the screw motor ;
and, indeed, the finback moves through the water when occasion offers as the most rapid express
train never does on its tracks on land. It is timid and non-resistant, and it is principally on
account of its great speed and its habit of immediate fight when stricken that the old whalemen
detest it. Tour veteran has no relish for being drawn to the bottom, boat and all, by an aqua-
tic race-horse possessing the traveling qualities of a meteor.
44 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
"Therefore, as hinted above, the youugsters who are perpetually learning new 'kinks' and
confounding their progenitors, have stepped into a new order of things. They begin with an
exact reversal of the old-time processes, which were to harpoon the whale, and then lance him to
death. The Provincetowner first lances his prey, and immediately after harpoons it, for reasons
and in pursuance of methods shortly to be given.
''The finbacks come in numbers early in the spring, following the bait which is their food —
herrings, sand eels, mackerel, and the like, and where this bait is found in reasonable quantities
the whales will surely be found. Wheu feeding this whale stretches wide open his jaws, moves
forward among the bait on the surface with velocity until he has pocketed or scooped (in his
mouth) a quantity (some barrels), when he snaps together his front doors and swallows the catch,
having no teeth, nor need of any. It is at this feeding season that he is easiest approached and
fastened to. Wheu not feeding he is usually lazily sleeping, or disporting, and, indeed, the gam-
bols of this variety of whale seem to form a very necessary part of his existence, to which he pays
much attention. The antics of a calf in a pasture, or a young puppy in a back yard, are hardly
more diverting or singular than are those of a pair of whales in their festive moments. They will
stand on their heads and flourish their tails in the air ; then stand upon their tails and snap their
jaws in the air. They whirl and roll and swash about, sometimes tearing the water into shreds,
and again darting about, exhausting every possibility of whale enjoyment. They are as full of
curiosity as a deer, or as are many of the fish varieties, and this they evidence frequently by play-
ing about the boats which have come out to capture them, reconuoiteriug and viewing these boats
from all sides, and sinking a few feet below the surface, following their every motion, while they
occasionally appear at the surface for an outside observation.
" When touched or struck their immediate impulse is to dash off like a rocket, and this
impulse they obey to perfection. To test their marvelous facility of speed, a harpoon was thrown
into one off the Eace (the extremity of Gape Cod), when he started off across the bay in the direc-
tion of Boston, and in forty minutes had dragged the boat and its contents of crew and imple-
ments within full view of Minot's Ledge light-house. All the line was paid out by the boat's crew
and they <vere finally obliged to slip for their lives.
" A common fishing schooner is now fitted out for this whale-catching business, carrying a
whale-boat of the aucient approved construction, with sufficient men to man the boat and leave
some one or two on board to follow in the vessel when the boat is actually engaged. The captain
usually handles the lance and harpoon, and pulls a spare oar when not thus engaged. Besides
himself, four oarsmen and a boat-steerer comprise the crew of the boat of the successful captain
alluded to above.
" The bomb-lance is a most destructive weapon. The gun from which the lance is fired is of
very thick metal, and the breech is made heavy with lead to neutralize the recoil, which is heavy
with this kind of arm. The length of barrel is about 17 inches. The lance itself is of iron, with a
chamber 6 or 7 inches in length along the lower center, and solid between the chamber and
poiut, the latter tapering, and filed or ground to three edges. About the base of the lance are india-
rubber wings, folded when the lance is inserted iu the gun, and acting as wad to make the lance
fit the barrel easily, and just rest upon the powder charge of the gun. When fired these rubber
wings expand, and, like the paper feathers of a boy's dart, preserve the poise of the weapon. The
chamber of the lance is filled with powder, like a bomb-shell, and a one-second, or thereabout, fuse
is attached, so that, when the weapon is discharged into the body of a whale, it explodes within,
inflicting terrible wounds. Care must be taken not to discharge the lance at too short range, as in
that case it will pass through and through the whale's carcase without exploding, and entail no
TIIK WHALK FISHERY. 45
serious injury. About 30 feet distance is the range usually sought for. This implement, in the
hands of a cool and skillful sailor, works ' like a charm,' and great is its destruction of the life of
leviathan. To illustrate this, and also the whole matter, an actual day's work of the captain
foresaid will now be detailed:
''The present year the season lias been very backward; east and cold winds and rough
\\rather have prevailed, and the bait was at least two weeks later than usual in the bay. On
account of these and other unfavorable circumstances the whale catch in Provineetown neighbor-
hood has thus far been small. At 2 o'clock on a morning in May of last year the crew of the
schooner was aroused by the captain, the vessel then lying near the wharves in Provineetown
Harbor. She was got under way, and the spouting or 'blowing' of a whale could be plainly
heard from her deck. At once the chase began, the experienced captain working in the dark, at
times with prospects of success, but without its attainment as the hours passed. That there was
more than one whale in the harbor was evident, and one of them was a humpback, a prize, indeed,
and much more valuable than a finback, yielding twice as much of oil for the same size of creature.
As dawn streaked and day opened, one after another various other craft in the harbor became
awakened to what was going on, and numerous boats' crews put off from the shore to join in a chase
and possible capture, with the details of which they were perfectly familiar, and the tactics of
which wen1 their common practice.
"The first rays of the sun fell upon an exciting scene. There were a humpback whale and a
finback coursing about the harbor, the latter fully 65 feet in length. The chasing boats and
vessels represented a great variety of craft, and a still greater variety of crews and individuals
engaged. There were tall, short, crooked, lank, old, and young boat-steerers ; fat men puffing at
paddles, and lean men tugging at long oars. Excitement, emulation, and competition roused all
these men to prodigious efforts, and, in tlieir anxiety and enthusiasm, they manifested the most
singular traits and cut the oddest pranks. The finback led them a desperate chase, now here, now
there, until hours had slipped away, and he was not caught, although the very elite of Cape
Cod skill in whale capture, aided by experienced veterans of the northern and Pacific fleets, had
lent a hand. Away over on the east side of the harbor the humpback was finally stricken, a bomb-
lance entering his huge body, shattering his backbone in the explosion, and the monster died
instantly. A vigorous and triumphant yell announced the capture, but the finback escaped. The
schooner then proceeded outside, and followed the shore towards the Race.
"From the time of leaving the harbor until noon not a whale was sighted. The waters of a
pond inshore were apparently no more free of the creatures than was Cape Cod Bay at that time.
About noon it fell flat calm, and the schooner drifted lazily. But as the early afternoon advanced
the cry of ' Blows !' awoke every man to the knowledge that an immediate change in the status
might be at hand. The sun was burning hot, and the face of the bay like a mirror. In less time
after the first cry than it takes to tell the incident no less than fifteen ' blows' were counted, and
whales were in abundance on every hand.
"The boat, which had been towing astern, was at once occupied, and the advance, which
promised the fairest success, was made without delay. The spouting columns appeared at regular
intervals, and soon the boat was in close proximity. Headway was stopped, the oarsmen
exchanged their oars for stumpy paddles, like those with which an Indian manages his canoe,
and every one of them took his seat upon the gunwale of the boat, paddle in hand, ready for
orders. The captain took his stand forward, gun in hand, ready to discharge the lance at the first
favorable opportunity. The whales (there were a pair of them, male and female, as it proved)
sportive, and at once began a reconnaissance of the boat. They would sink about 10 feet below
46 HISTOEY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES.
the surface, roll partly upon one side, and cast an eye upward, as if speculating upon the apparition,
and occasionally come up, blow, and roll lazily under again. Their every motion could be plainly
seen while they were under water, and their movements anticipated. The captain singled out the
female, the largest and best animal, and thenceforth all attention was paid to her movements. At
last she came slowly to the surface, just moved her immense tail with the necessary motion to
change her direction, and started directly across the bow of the boat, under the very nose of the
captain. A straightforward bow shot was what he had been waiting for, and in an instant the gun
was at his shoulder. Up to this moment the men had all been guided by expressive wavings of the
captain's hand ; and his every motion was watched as men watch for a drop to fall during an
execution. As the gigantic finback passed — she proved to be upwards of 65 feet in length — she
rolled slightly to one side, and threw up the nipper nearest the captain as a man would throw up
the elbow of his bent arm to a level with the shoulder. Quick as thought the captain fired, the
lance struck the huge carcass just under the nipper and entirely disappeared, and the empty gun
was flung along the bottom of the boat.
" Instantly the captain was standing on the bow deck, harpoon in hand. The whale was
motionless, apparently with absolute astonishment. In this moment of quiet, which could not be
prolonged, the boat slightly advanced, the captain's both hands arose high in the air, the harpoon
descended directly downward, and the whale was transfixed, the iron entering her body near the
tail. The lance had seemingly hardly left the gun at greater speed than the initial movement of
that whale when consciousness was aroused. The whale line attached to the harpoon was coiled
with characteristic care in two tubs nearly amidships, led aft around the loggerhead in the stern
deck, and then forward through a notch in the extreme bow, out of which it was kept from slip-
ping by a pin passed through the two upper parts of the crotch. Instantly every man was stand-
ing along this line, grasping it with hat in hand to preserve it from the intense friction. The
loggerhead was kept constantly wet, and a man stood over it, hatchet in hand, to cut upon the first
' foul,' or other indication of extreme danger. And now appeared the wisdom of the movements.
The lance had entered the vitals of the whale, inflicting, it was well known, a terrible internal
wound upon its explosion. Had this not been the case, and only the harpoon held the whale, she
would have finished the race incontinently by obliging the crew to slip the line, or be drawn
under water. As it was, she must soon come up for further action. To appreciate the situation
that ensued, you should have seen that boat go through the water ; that is, you should have been
seated upon one of her thwarts or along her bottom. The whale moved forward and also down-
ward, and the water was then many fathoms deep. The downward movement, of course, depressed
the bow of the boat, and the immediate danger was from being drawn under by motion too swift to
allow the cutting of the surface. At once a great trough was made in the smooth sea by the flying
craft, the boat occupying the cavity, and from both her sides a sloping bank of water, inclining
outward and upward, seemed builded about her. To one sitting upon a thwart and looking out-
ward, the surface of the bay seemed just opposite the line of his eyes, so great was the depression
of the trough.
" Now, then, a sheer of the whale and the boat would take water at once over the side. The
forward movement became too swift, the bow too much depressed. Fathom after fathom was
allowed to slip around the loggerhead, until 50, 60, SO, 100 fathoms had been paid out, and three
or four minutes had elapsed. The whale had been struck off the Eace, and had started across
the bay in the direction of Plymouth.
"At the end of the time indicated the line began to slack and the whale to move upward from
the bottom of the bay. Still, however, she tore onward. As fasl us could be the line was hauled
THE WHALE FISHERY. 47
upoii, and all possible taken in. And now the whale is upon the surface, and great jets of almost
pure blood, red and arterial, rise in the air and fall backward upon her head and shoulders.
That tells the story. The boat rushes forward, and now seems to be floating in blood, so thick
have the waters become with it, and the smell arising is deadly sickening and almost suffocating
to the inexperienced.
" Down again the creature goes, to remain about the same time as at first. The speed hardly
diminishes. Up again she comes, and now the noise of her spouting is as of huge pipes obstructed,
and soon great clots of blood and substance fall as before upon the surface of the water. Every
muscle in every man is as tense as whalebone, and every nerve like steel. Each says to himself,
Will the end never come ?
"A breeze is rising on the eastern board, but its outer edge is still far from the schooner.
The two men left on board the latter have headed her in chase of the boat, but she is soon hull-
down in the view of the boat's crew. No matter. There are successive risings of the whale at
more frequent intervals, and now it is largely water that she spouts, and the wonder is if she has
any more blood left in her carcass. Usually when a finback is killed the body sinks at once, and
does not rise again for forty-eight hours; and every lance is stamped with its owner's initials,
that carcasses found may be identified. Other varieties of whale, having more blubber, do not
sink, at least not so readily.
"An idea strikes the captain. ' This whale,' he says, 'has lost so much blood that I do not
believe she will sink, and I will try an experiment.' He means that he will not haul up to the
animal by the harpoon line and dispatch her with another lance; but that he will follow her till
she dies of exhaustion and her present wound.
"Suddenly the whale turns square about, and starts back toward the Race. There is some
confusion, a slacking and jerking of the line, and all at once the harpoon slips, and whale and
boat are parted. And now the men growl and lower at the captain, for allowing their hard-earned
prize thus to escape. But he knows that a shore time must decide the contest and that the whale
must soon die.
"She is followed by her frequent spoutings of black blood and matter, and, her speed slack-
ing, the chase draws upon her. She stops. Will the captain give her another lance? The
proposal is useless, for her death flurry is begun, and it will soon be seen whether the experiment
of the captain is to result favorably.
"And now she leaps full length out of the water, and falls prone upon it with a crash like a
falling building. The surface is streaked and torn with foam mingled with blood. She stands
now upon her head, now upon her tail; like lightning she darts hither and thither. She sinks
and rises, spouts and half rolls over. Every man is iu position to keep clear of her, if in her frenzy
she blindly comes their way. ' For God's sake, captain, look out!' shouts one ; ' here she comes! '
The warning is justified; she is coming full head toward the boat. But momently she staggers,
ceases effort; her motion slows; she rolls three-quarters over, and lies dead in the middle of Mas-
sachusetts Bay.
" The schooner is out of sight. From 3 o'clock until 5 she has been battling for life, and leading
her capturers such a chase as the world cannot equal under other conditions. The breeze — a stiff
easter — has arrived. The whale must be towed home, but it is a serious matter with oars and
only the boat. Happily she has shut her mouth in dying, and will tow easier in consequence.
The captain's experiment has worked well, and this was about the only finback captured in these
•waters that season without sinking.
48 HISTORY AND METHODS OF TE1E FISHERIES.
"But the breeze brings the schooner, after a somewhat blind chase. Provincetown Harbor
is reached next morning, and the whale lauded at the try-works. There is no room here for further
detail or description. The captain is at this very moment cruising for whales oft' Grand Meuan,
with a better Proviucetown schooner than he had la.st year. But lie has taken 90 barrels iu Mas-
sachusetts Bay the present season "
COAST OF RHODE ISLAND AND NEW YORK.
Whales have frequently been taken by vessels soon after starting on their voyages from New
Bedford and other ports, and sometimes schools of wLales are seen close inshore. Of late years
no organized effort has been made to engage in shore whaling, though during the last century the
coast of Long Island was a favorite place for this fishery.
The following clippings mention the capture of a right whale at Newport, and the appearance
of a school of whales at the entrance of Long Island Sound :
"The whale, which for several days had been sporting in our river, was captured on Monday
last in fine style by a boat's crew of young men from Newport. Mr. Oliver Potter laid the boat
alongside as the whale came up. and Mr. Thomas White fastened the harpoon into her side. After
running the boat some distance she was lanced and carried into Newport. The whale is of the
right sort, about 44 feet long, and rated at 70 barrels of oil. A number of gentlemen of this town
have made arrangements to gratify the curiosity of those who may wish to see this creature of
the deep, and it will be exhibited for several days in a convenient place at Fox Point."
"A Connecticut paper, dated August 1G, 1873, states that the skipper of the sloop Annie, of
Saybrook, Conn., reports a large school of whales iu close proximity to home. Monday, while
midway between Southeast Point, Block Island, and Moutauk, a school of whales, numbering
probably thirty-five, was seen from the Annie's deck, gamboling near the Block Island shore,
whence they had been lured, it is supposed, by the prospect of a good feeding-ground. In the
school very few finbacks or humpbacked whales were to be seen. The majority were large whales,
some of them being not less than 70 feet iu length. Boatmen report it as a common occurrence
to see two or three finbacks in company in the race, but the appearance of so many large whales
is a new experience."
COAST OF NEW JERSEY.
The only record we have of shore-whaling on this coast is that furnished by Mr. Earll, who,
while visiting the coast in 1880, learned that between 1810 and 1820 (Japt. John Sprague, of
Manahawkiu. with a crew of seven men, followed whaling exclusively for a few years, with fair
results. They had a camp and try- works on the shore, and were provided with a whale-boat, in
which they put off from the beach whenever a whale was seen.
COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA.
The whale-fisheries of Beaufort seem to have been prosecuted continuously for a long period
of years, and the oldest inhabitants are unable to give any information of their origin. There
has never been any extensive business, aud the fishing has been confined wholly to small boats
going out from the shore, with the exception of two vessels run during a few mouths each. The
first was the Daniel Webster, i'4.15*ons, that fitted out for whaling in the winter of 1874-'75, with
a crew from Proviucetown, Mass., but after three mouths' cruising she gave it up and returned to
Proviucetowu, having taken nothing. The next vessel, the Seychille, 47.07 tons, came to Beaufort
in the winter of 1878-'79, but was lost in the August storm of 1879, having taken nothing.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 49
The usual plan is for tlie fishermen to establish cainps among the sand hills along the shore
between Cape Lookout and Little River, where they live from the 1st of February to the last of
April. When the season arrives tbr whaling, three crews of six men each unite to form a earn]),
and proceed to build a house out of rushes in some desirable location near the shore, for protection
against the weather. Their boats, usually three in number, and their implements, an- placed in
readiness on the beach, and a lookout selected, where one man is stationed, to give the signal if
the whales come in sight.
At this season of the year the whales are moving northward, and in their migrations often
come within a short distance of the shore, where they are pursued and often captured by the.
fishermen. As soon as the whale is harpooned the "drug" is thrown over, and when he turns to
tight the fishermen, armed with gnus, shoot him with explosive cartridges, and, after killing him
with their lances, tow him to the shore, where they try him out.
The number of crews varies with the season, it formerly averaging but two or three, of
eighteen men each. In the spring of 1879 four crews were engaged in this fishery, and five
whales \\ere taken.
In the spring of 1880 there were six crews of 108 men stationed between Cape Hatteras and
Bear Inlet, but the season being unusually open, most of the whales had passed before the fisher-
men came on the shore, and but one was taken, the bone and oil selling for $408.
The yearly catch of late is about four whales, averaging 1,800 gallons of oil and 550 pounds
of bone each, giving the catch a value of $4,500. The shares usually range from thirty to forty,
as follows: Each boat one share, the gun two shares, the gunner an extra share, and each steers-
man an additional one-half share, the men all receiving one share each.
The whaling-gun was introduced into the locality by the schooner Daniel Webster, of Prov-
iucetown, in 1874.
COAST OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA.
There are no regular whaling-camps on this coast, but whaling vessels from the north often
cruise a short distance off Port Royal, S. C., and Brunswick, Ga., sometimes meeting with good
success. These vessels are of the smaller class, ranging from 53 to 117 tons, and spend the winter
and early spring months before their departure for the off-shore grounds in capturing whales
near the bars off this coast. They were formerly in the habit of going to Fernaudina, Fla., every
fall to ship their oil and bone to the STorth, but owing to the yellow fever at that place some of
them came to Brunswick, Ga., in 1876, and one of them secured a whale in this vicinity. The
following year two vessels came in January and remained till the middle of March, getting one
whale. The third year two whales were caught by the same vessel, and in 1879 four vessels
visited the locality, aud had taken up to March 1, five whales yielding 226 barrels of oil and 2,750
pounds of bone. The whaling-ground is on a bar only about 4 miles from the shore. A whale
after being captured by the whalemen in boats, is towed by the vessel into the sound aud there
stripped of blubber aud the oil tried out.
An exciting scene occurred at Charleston in the spring of 1880, which is thus described in the
Charleston Xews of January S :
"UNUSUAL SPORT IN CHARLESTON HARBOR. — Several days ago the almost unprecedented
presence of a whale in Charleston Harbor was announced. Whether driven here by stress of
weather, seeking misanthropic seclusion from his kind, or on an exploring expedition, will never
be known, but his presence was a huge black verity. Several timid and ineffectual attempts had
been made to effect his capture or destruction, but all were futile, until a regular hunt was
SEC. v, VOL. ii 4
TO HISTORY AND METHi-DS OF THE FISHERIES.
organized yesterday, Mr. Armstrong Hall, engineer, and Captain Smith, of the tug Eoyal Arch,
leading it. The attacking force originally consisted of two of Messrs. Bangs & Dolby's row-boats,
each manned by three oarsmen, an experienced and trustworthy coxswain, and a man in the bow of
each armed with a harpoon. Other boats with their crews joined in the chase, however, when the
whale was seen near Fort Sumter at about 9.45 a. m. He had been first met and struck on the
bar, however, by the boats above mentioned at about 8 o'clock, a harpoon and line being made fast
in his body near the tail. Pursuit was continued, one of the boats towing after the whale by the
line, and the other being rowed to within a short distance of him as he would rise to blow, and the
harpoons being launched at him whenever a favorable opportunity offered. During the chase he
had been working his way to landward, and soon got in the shoal water near Fort Johnston, on
James Island. In his struggles he became entangled in the stout line attached to the harpoon,
and wound himself in it so that it held firmly. He remained in the shoal water during the morn-
ing, the line having been cut to save the boat during a " flurry,'' and in the afternoon, at about
1.30 o'clock, an attempt was made to secure him. Four steam tugs — the Morgan, the Eepublic,
the Wade Hampton, and the Eoyal Arch — were present, besides probably fifty or sixty row-boats,
and a few small sailing craft.
"The news of the capture had spread rapidly, and quite a crowd, including a number of ladies,
gathered on the battery and watched the struggle that ensued. The line was taken aboard and
made fast to one of the tugs, which attempted to coax the fish toward the city. But the steamer
proved to be too unhandy for the delicate manipulation required, and the line was finally snapped,
a piece of considerable length being left attached to the whale worn en traine. Then ensued a
series of exciting maneuvers. The tugs would approach him in turn as opportunity offered, and
those aboard would drive lances and harpoons at him, with more or less effect, or attempt to throw
great running nooses over the flukes of his tail as they were thrust above the surface in the
creature's struggles. He indulged in a series of the most extraordinary gymnastic performances,
turning complete somersaults, and occasionally standing on his head, apparently for several
moments, with from 2 to 6 feet of his tail projecting above the water.
"Meantime, many of the small boats were dodging about him, and missiles were hurled at
him whenever a fair chance was offered. Time and again barbed harpoons and the long keen
blades of lances were plunged into his sides and back, and time and again did they fail to hold,
being drawn back by the lines by their owners. He was slowly but surely scuffling and turning
himself through the mud, which was seen upon his head several times, across the Ashley Eiver
toward White Point Garden, the center of an ever-varying circle of all sorts of craft, armed with
all sorts of weapons. In his progress he ran under the bow of the schooner Minnehaha, where
earnest efforts were made to lasso him, a compliment which he returned by standing on his head
and thrashing her with his tail until she shook from stem to stern. He struck sevenil blows
upon her jib-boom, which was damaged somewhat, the rigging thereabout being badly torn. He
would lash the water with the flukes of his tail, making reports like the discharge of a musket,
and drenching all in his neighborhood. He came to the surface frequently to blow, which he
did with a noise resembling that made by the blowing out of steam from an engine, sending a
fountain from each of his nostrils. At one time he got beneath the bow of one of the tugs, lifting
it almost clear of the water, and a stroke of his tail wrenched off one of the cabin doors that
stood open. It is impossible to describe, and almost impossible to imagine, the tremendous force
of one of these strokes. The great volumes of water that rose after each showed the immense
strength that was put forth hi them.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 51
"Two of the tugs ran over him, and the propeller of the Wade Hampton gave him several
blows, the effects of which were seen upon his bleeding back as he next rose. The line had also
evidently chafed him considerably, the skin near the tail being perceptibly raw from it. It
appeared about this time as if he was almost exhausted. He would now and then cease his
struggles entirely, and lie placidly upon the water with almost his entire body exposed, as it
resting. Observers could almost imagine that they could see him pant, and hi* snorts came in
quick succession, and seemed to have a ring of distress or despair in them. His motions, too,
were slower and more languid, as if he were about to relinquish the unequal struggle and die.
" All this time the two boats that had originated the chase had steadily followed him up, the
men in the bows driving their long lances into his body near where their experience taught them
was a vital point. Suddenly there was a cheer. One of the tugs rather involuntarily had gotten
so close on him that the remainder of the line hanging to him was secured by a boat-hook, and
quickly spliced to another line on board. About half an hour of playing him followed, when the
line, which had been stranded gradually, again parted. Haifa dozen efforts were made to throw a
noose over his tail from the deck of the Wade Hampton, from which place such trifles as a rifle-bullet
or so and two or three balls from a large revolver were fired into him without perceptible effect. One
or two of the efforts to throw the noose over him were very nearly successful, but he seemed to
dodge beneath the water as it fell about him.
" Another cheer announced another apparent success. A lance thrust from one of the Bangs
& Colby boats had evidently struck him deeply, and the men in her yelled exultantly as they rap-
idly backed away. The blood poured out and dyed the water around, and in a few seconds a
gigantic plume of crimson spray arose as he came up to blow. As he lifted his side from the water
and struck another gigantic blow, the blood could be seen pouring forth in a stream like that from
a small hose. He lay comparatively quiet, and another and stronger line was passed about him
from the Morgan. With this he was played for another half hour, during which time the small
boats kept steadily striking him whenever he appeared. He had by this time changed his course
somewhat, turning toward the center of the harbor, and crossing the stream across the bows of
the bark Framat, which he narrowly missed striking.
"The confusion of boats and lines was very great, tugs, bateaus, and row-boats being gath-
ered about the fish, alternately advancing and backing, amid a chaos of yells, oaths, cries of warn-
ing, and orders, the confusion being increased when the object of all attention would suddenly
begin to lash the water or execute some fancy movement, causing a wild scattering of craft on all
sides. That some one was not drowned or knocked in the head is a subject of general wonder.
" At last, when just alongside the Wade Hampton, the whale, who had lines enough about him
almost for a ship's rigging, seemed suddenly to decide to free himself by one mighty effort. In a
second almost the water for many feet about him became a mass of seething, heaving foam. He
turned over and over, fairly churned the sea with his tail, threw first his ugly head, and then the
great black rubber-looking flukes far above the surface, and bent himself almost double, straight-
ening out again with terrific violence. When the spray and foam were gone and men had an
opportunity to look, the Morgan's line was found slack and broken. The whale had freed himself
and disappeared. His track was rapidly followed, the struggle having by this time been brought
to a point opposite the Southern wharves, which were packed with people.
" The game appeared once or twice at long intervals, and was finally come up with by the
pursuers, now greatly diminished in numbers, on the eastern side of Cooper Eiver, near the
shore. Again the chase became hot, one or two strokes being given, and the Morgan running
over the whale again. About this time, however, he ran so close in that the tugs were afraid to
52 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES,
follow, and stood idly at a distance. Only about seven row-boats were now engaged in he hunt,
the others having retired from it, among the few which still followed being that laid hands upon
by the News and Courier deputation.' The fish turned and went down Hog Island Channel, the
oarsmen pulling steadily and cheerily after him.
"Talk of sport! What sport is comparable with the rush through the water after such huge
game as this, when tired muscles forget their weariness and are endowed with fresh life at every
sight of the great head and every splash of the monster's body? 'Give away! Give away with a
will!' And with oars going, the gunwales parting the smooth water, which seemed to rush by, and
every nerve and sinew tense and firm, the chase followed, no one knowing fatigue or stopping to
measure distances iu such a hunt. At last the boats huddle together, and spread again in a circle,
as the fish is caught up with. A moment and he appeal's, and in that moment a long-boat shoots
by his side, and the man in the bow, cool and steady, and with a deliberation that looks cruel,
plunges his lance into the mountain of flesh, while the oars are backed with a rush and surge, and
the craft glides away. Again and again this is repeated, the lioats moving in a continual semi-
circle, hemming the great fish in, and forming a barrier, which he could burst like pack-thread if
he knew it, to the deep water where his safety and rest lie. Slowly he works out, tacking this
way and that, and getting the merciless steel upon almost every reappearance.
"He was evidently weakening this rime. His plunges beneath the water were shorter and
shorter in duration, and he seemed to gasp for breath as he came up. At last a bare-footed sailor
in one of the first two boats, the man who struck the first blow in the morning (Garrison, of North
Carolina), drove his lance home. The boat backed away, but there was no need for it. An inert
black mass lay upon the surface, moving gently with the motion of the water. Dead at last.
"Then the boats rushed in and clustered around the dead giant. The Royal Arch came up,
and from her deck some one fired a rifle-ball into the whale's back. There was something like a
shudder, a feeble serpentine motion of the body, and then stillness. This was just at sunset, off
Shem Creek, on the east shore, and cheer after cheer arose, the whistle of the tug joining in the
triumphal chorus. Lines were quickly made fast about the great body, and it was towed to Sulli-
van's Island, where it will remain a part of to-day.
" The fish is a ' right whale.' As well as could be estimated last night his length is from 40 to
50 feet, and the thickness of his body from 10 to 15 feet. His captors estimate that he will yield
from $600 to $800 worth of oil. When examined after death the body and sides of the monster
•were found to be thickly seamed and scarred iu every direction with the marks of the lances,
harpoons, and hooks, showing that the hunters had aimed well."
COAST OF CALIFORNIA.
By DAVID S. JORDAN.
According to Captain Scammon " shore-whaling was commenced at Monterey, in the year
1851, by Captain Davenport, formerly a whaling-master of much experience and enterprise. The
whales were pursued in boats from the shore, and when captured were towed to the beach and
flensed, much iu the same manner, doubtless, as it had been done by our New England whalers
more than one hundred and fifty years ago. At the point where the. enormous carcass was
stripped of its fat, arose the whaling-station, where try-pots were set in rude furnaces, formed of
rocks and clay, and capacious vats were made of plauks, to receive the blubber. Large mincing-
tubs, with mincing-horses and mincing-knives, cutting-spades, ladles, bailers, skimmers, pikes, and
gaffs, with other whaling implements, surrounded the try-works; and near by, a low structure,
TIIK WIIALK F I SHEET. 53
covered with brushwood, constituted the store-house for oil. A light shanty, with four com-
partments, served the inupo.xe of wash room, drying-room, store-room, and cooper's shop, and a
sort of capstans, termed -crabs,' \MTC used in lieu of tin- ship's windlass, whereli.y the falls to the
heavy cutting-tackles were hove in, when fastened to the blanket-piece, which served to roll the
massive forms of the captured animals on the beach during the process of flensing."
"From tins experiment of local whaling," continues Scammou, "sprung up a system of shore
or coast whaling, which has been prosecuted for over twenty years (1874), and which extends
from Half-Moon Bay (latitude .'!7° 30'), on the north, to Point Abauda (latitude 32° 20'), in Lower
California." In 1874 there were "eleven whaling parties scattered along this belt of coast,
located at Half-Moon Bay, Pigeon Point, Monterey Bay (two), Carmel Bay, San Simeon, San
Luis Obispo, Goleta, Portuguese Bend (near San Pedro), San Diego, and Point Abauda. The
organization of each party is nearly on the same plan as that of the whale-ship's officers and crew,
all being paid a certain share, or 'lay,' which corresponds to the position or individual services
rendered by each member. A 'whaling company,' as it is termed, consists of one captain, one
mate, a cooper, two boat-steerers, and eleven men ; from these, two whale-boats are provided with
crews of six men each, leaving four hands on shore, who take their turn at the lookout station, to
watch for whales, and attend to boiling out the blubber when a whale is caught. The stock of
the company consists of boats, whaling implements, and whaling gear, which is divided into six-
teen equal shares, and the 'lay' of each member is the same. The captain and mate, however,
are paid a bonus of $200 or $300 for the term of engagement, which is one year, and they are also
exempt from all expenses of the company.
"The whaling year begins on the 1st of April, this being about the time that the California
gray whales have all passed toward the Arctic Ocean, and the, humpback whales begin their
noithern passage. The cruisiug limits of the local whalers extend from near the shore line to 10
miles at sea. At dawn of day the boats may be seen, careening under a press of sail, or pro-
pelled over the undulating ground-swell by the long measured strokes of oars, until they reach
the usual whaling-ground, where the day is passed plying to and fro, unless the objects of pursuit
are met with. Each boat is furnished with Greener's harpoon-gun, mounted at the bow, besides
tlie bomb gun in general use, which imparts to fhem more of a military appearance than the usual
aspect of a whaling craft. Generally, whales are first seen from the boats, but occasionally they
aie discovered by the man on watch at the station, who signals to the boats by means of a flag
elevated upon a pole, with which he runs toward the quarter where the whales are seen ; or a
Belies of signals are made from a tall flag staif.
" The cetaceous animals frequenting the coast, having been so long and constantly pursued,
are exceedingly wild and difficult to approach, and were it not for the utility of Greener's gun
the coast fishery would be abandoned, it being now next to impossible to ' strike' with the hand-
harpoon. At the present time (1874) if the whale can be approached within 30 yards it is con-
sidered to be in reach of the gun-hai-poon. "When the gunner fires, if he hits his game, the next
effort made is to haul up near enough to shoot a bomb-lance into a vital part, which, if it explodes,
completes the capture; but if the first bomb i'ails the second or third one does the fatal work.
The prize is then towed to the station, and, if it be night, it is secured to one of the buoys, placed for
the purpose, a little way from the surf, where it remains until daylight, or until such time as it is
wanted to be stripped of its blubber. The whales generally taken by the shore parties are hump-
backs and California grays; but occasionally a right whale, a finback, or a sulphur-bottom ia
captured.
54 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES.
" The localities of several of the stations are quite picturesque. Some of them are nearly
concealed from seaward view, being inside some rocky reef, or behind a jagged point, with its out-
lyiug rocks, upon which each successive wave dashes its foam, as if forbidding the approach of
ship or boat. The one which most interested us is half hidden in a little nook, on the southern
border of the Bay of Carmel, just south of Point Pinos. Scattered around the foothills, which
come to the water's edge, are the neatly whitewashed cabins of the whalers, nearly all of whom
are Portuguese, from the Azores or Western Islands of the Atlantic. They have their families with
iliem, and keep a pig, sheep, goat, or cow prowling around the premises; these, with a small
garden-patch, yielding principally corn and pumpkins, make up the general picture of the hamlet,
which is a paradise to the thrifty clan in comparison with the homes of their childhood. It is a
pleasant retreat from the rough voyages experienced on board the whale-ship. The surrounding
natural scenery is broken into majestic spurs and peaks, like their own native isles, with the
valley of the Rio Carmel a little beyond, expanded into landscape loveliness.
" Under a precipitous bluff, close to the water's edge, is the station, where, upon a stone-laid
quay, is erected the whole establishment for cutting-iu and trying-out the blubber of the whales.
Instead of rolling them upon the beach, as is usually done, the cutting-tackles are suspended from
an elevated beam, whereby the carcass is rolled over in the water — when undergoing the process
of flensing — in a manner similar to that alongside a ship. Near by are the try- works, sending
forth volumes of thick black smoke from the scrap-fire under the steaming caldrons of boiling oil
A little to one side is the primitive storehouse, covered with cypress boughs. Boats are hang-
ing from davits, some resting on the quay, while others, fully equipped, swing at their moorings in
the bay. Seaward, on the crest of a cone-shaped hill, stands the signal-pole of the lookout station.
Add to this the cutting at the shapeless and half-putrid mass of a mutilated whale, together with
the men shouting and heaving on the capstans, the screaming of gulls and other sea fowl, mingled
with the noise of the surf about the shores, and we have a picture of the general life at a California
coast-whaling station."*
In 1879 shore whale-fisheries were, or had lately been, in operation at the following points on
the coast of California :
(a) Santo Tomas, in Lower California, about 35 miles south of San Diego.
(I) Cojo Viejo, in Santa Barbara County, just south of Point Conception and 51 miles west of
Santa Barbara.
(c) Port Starford, in San Luis Obispo County.
(d) San Simeon, in San Luis Obispo County.
(e) Carmelo Bay, in Monterey County.
(/) Monterey, in Monterey County.
There have been whale-fisheries also at the following points :
(a) Ballast Point, at San Diego.
(b) Dead Man's Island, in San Pedro Bay, Los Angeles County.
(c) Portuguese Bend, just north of San Pedro Bay, n Los Angeles County.
(d) Goleta or Moore's Lauding, 8 miles west of Santa Barbara, in the same county.
(e) Point Sur, in San Luis Obispo County.
(/) Pigeon Point, in San Mateo County.
(g) Half-Moon Bay, in San Mateo County.
* SCA.MMON : Marine Mammalia, pp. 247-250.
THK WFIAU-; FISH KEY. 55
The first shore- whaling camp on the California coast was established by Capt. Joseph Clark
near Monterey, about the year 1851.* From Monterey Captain Clark went to San Diego and
thence to Portuguese Bend. He went to San Simeon about 1864.
Capt. Frank Anderson, who is said to be now the most experienced whaling captain on the
coast, is a nat ive of the Azores Islands, his Portuguese name having been dropped on naturalization
in the United States, as is the general custom among the natives of the Azores. He was at first a
whaler on ships from New Bedford, then came to California in 1866, .and since 1873 he has had
charge of whaling-camps as captain. He was at San Luis Obsipo until 1874, at Portuguese
Bend till 1877, and at Pigeon Point till 1879, when he with his entire company removed to Cojo
Viejo.
Tho San Diego fishery was established by Captain Clark about 1858. In 1869 the whalers
were driven off from Ballast Point in January, the laud being taken for Government purposes.
The company lost the rest of that year; then they went to Santo Tomas, in Mexico, at which point
a company has been most of the time subsequently, but Captain Anderson is informed that they
have now suspended. Before the arrival of this party at Santo Touias, another party, under Cap-
tain Price, had been there in 1864 and 1865. The Mexican Government charged a fee of about
$50 annually, and the United States customs officers at San Francisco admitted the oil free of duty,
although shipped from a Mexican port, "in consideration of the fact that they were Americans
and poor men who worked for their living." This privilege was afterwards refused to certain San
Francisco capitalists.
In 1866 a station existed for a short time on Dead Man's Island, a circular rock rising in Sail
Pedro Bay.
Portuguese Bend is an unusually good station for winter whaling, although little comes there
m summer. While there Mr. Anderson used to work only in winters. In the three winters,
December to April, spent there, 2,166 barrels of oil were obtained.
Pigeon Point has many summer whales, but the water is too rough in winter. The first year
1,000 barrels were obtained ; the second year 564. In 1877, in the month of September, a whale
120 feet long is reported by the New Bedford Standard to have been " towed into Pigeon Point
for the whaling company, making two whales at anchor at that port."
Goleta was not a very good station. The camp came about 1870 and broke up in 1878.
There were three companies there in all, the first of Jamaica negroes. One winter 450 barrels
were obtained there.
Whaling was practiced is Los Angeles County for a time, but was discontinued in 1876.
The following species of whales are found on the Pacific coast:
(1) Sperm whale, not taken by shore camps.
(2) Humpback whale, or summer whale.
(3) Gray whale, or devil fish, so called because it fights harder than the others.
(4) Bight whale, not often seen.
(5) Sulphur-bottom whale (Sibbaldius sulfureux Cope). Large, 80 to 110 feet long. Twelve
of them were taken at Pigeon Point, but none yet at Cojo. They pass by going north in April
and south in the fall. They are hard to hold or tow, because when dead the under jaw drops
down.
(6) Finback. Two struck at Cojo, but lost in deep water. They are very slim, with but
little blubber, 100 to 120 feet long, and make about 30 barrels of oil.
* Scauimcm says the nrat caiup was established by Captain Davenport, at Mouterey, in 1851.
56 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
(7) Bowheacl, seen only in Arctic regions.
(S) Russian wbale. Scarce and only in Arctic regions. Very large.
The humpback whale goes north in summer, returning in the fall. Some migrate as far as
Alaska, but many not beyond Point Concepcion. This is therefore almost the only species taken
in summer. Four have been taken at Cojo this year. The cows are about 50 feet long, and the bull
whales about 45. The former produce about 70 barrels of oil, the bulls about half as much. The
four taken at Cojo produced 14S barrels of oil. This species was formerly much more abundant than
now. Since 187.3 it has become quite scarce. The whalebone of this species is black, but of little
value; said to be worth .045 per pound in Japan, but not worth snipping. The oil of this species
is white and quite thick. The reddish and thinner oil of the gray whale sells more readily, but
both bring the same price. The oil of the sulphur-bottom whale is like lard, and becomes solid
iu cold weather. All these oils are chiefly used in rope-making; some of it in leather working.
The oil made from blabber is more valuable than that taken from the, inside, and is kept sep-
arate from the latter. The gray whale is usually about 45 feet long, the bulls 35. They gen-
erally follow the line of the edge of the kelp in going southward. There are usually two or three
together. " They feed on sardines and shrimps." They go southward from December to February
to calve in the Gulf of California. Then they return northward from the latter part of February
to May. The most of February is a "slack time," when few are seen. When they return north-
ward the cows and calves usually keep well out to sea, the bulls farther toward shore. The
whalebone of this species is white, scanty, and worthless. A gray cow whale sometimes yields
about 90 barrels of oil ; a bull less than half as much.
CAMP AT COJQ VIEJO. — The company consists of twenty men in winter and eighteen iu
summer. Fifteen of these constitute the management, own the property, and share the proceeds
equally. Captain Anderson is employed by these, receiving $100 in cash and one-seventeenth of
all receipts (above freights ;md commission). There are two others receiving one thirty-fifth of
the proceeds, one one-fortieth, and another one fifty-fifth. Two Chinamen also accompany the
camp, receiving for their services the sinews of the whale, which are shipped to China, supposably
for soup. These sinews used to sell at 50 cents per pound to the Chinese in San Francisco, then
at 40 cents, and afterwards there was no market. They are now worth about 25 cents per pound
in San Francisco, and are said to sell at $1 per pound iu China. There are 20 to 30 pounds of
sinews in a whale.
The whole company at Cojo came originally from the Azores, with the exception of two or
three from the Madeiras. The same persons constituted the company on Pigeon Point. The com-
pany have built for themselves a large house, in which they eat and sleep, and store their guns
and harpoons. Beside this, the captain, who is accompanied by his wife, has a separate smaller
house, and the Chinese another after their fashion. These are on a bluff above the beach. On a
cliff above is a signal-port, where two men watch for whales. On the beach below are the kettles
for trying the oil, the barrels, and other things of that sort. In a little laguna are the two whale-
boats not in use.
The entire outfit cost about $2,000, exclusive of the houses, &c. The total expenses of the camp
are $4,000 to $5,000 yearly. There are four whaling-boats, two being iu use each half of the year,
while the others are being repaired, painted, &c. These were made in New Bedford, where they
cost $145 each, but cost $200 at San Francisco. The outfit of a boat when ready to attack a
whale is worth about $600. It consists of eight bomb-lances, two harpoons, one 200-fathoin line,
two guns, a swivel-gun, worth $200, for the harpoons and large bombs, and a smaller gun, worth
$55, for the bomb-lances. The smaller bomb-lances are made in Norway, and come twenty-five in
THE WHALK FISH KRY. 57
a box, at $94 per box. These are shot at the whale from a short thick gun, held at the shoulder.
They explode in the flesh of the whale, ''disgusting him," but not usually killing him. Of the
sixteen gray whales thus far taken at Cojo, there was hut one which did not have scars from
bomb-lance wounds. The whales are becoming so shy, Ihat these things can rarely be shot closely
enough to prove effectual. These bomb-lances are a little over a foot long. A much larger bomb-
lance, holding a pound of powder, invented by Anderson, and made for him in Norway, is used
by this camp. It is tired from the swivel-gun, and usually kills the whale. They cost $5 each.
The harpoons are usually much more effectual. The sort used, differing somewhat from any in
use in the Atlantic, is manufactured in Cambria, in San Luis Obispo County. A rope is fastened
to this, and it is shot from the large swivel-gun at the whale. These harpoons tired from guns
have been iu use on the coast since about 1868; the Cambria harpoon by Anderson since about
1S72. The harpoons cost $9 each. Some of them have been used five times, but occasionally
one is hopelessly bent, or the rope holding it is broken. The swivel-gun is made in England. It
is placed in the bow of the boat; sometimes men are killed by the recoil. One man in Ander-
son's camp was kicked iu the chest by it and died of hemorrhage. The harpoon weighs 7 to 9
pounds, the rope about 37 pounds. The gnu will not shoot well more than 150 feet, the deflec-
tion of the projectile preventing it from striking squarely at a greater distance. At a distance of
more than 90 feet it is necessary to aim above the whale. Unless the whale is held by a line, it is
likely to sink when dead, and in rough weather it is hard to prevent them from sinking even
when so held. Harpoons are thrown by hand only when necessary to hold up dead whales. The
whale-lines are brought from Xew Bedford.
The company arrived at Cojo from Pigeon Point April 25, 1879, and devoted the following
summer to getting ready for work. The following are the dates when whales were caught ; hump-
back whales, October 18 and 24, two on each day ; California gray whales, on December 14,21. 24,
28, and 29. January 5, 9, 10, 12 (two whales), 14, 17, 21. 22, 25, February 1 ; making a total of
twenty whales up to February 14. A camp is considered to do well if obtaining fifteen whales
per year. The reut of the land, with privilege of garden, cow-pasture, and firewood, is usually
about $100 per year, but is only $1 at Cojo.
The oil is barreled, and being rolled into the surf is taken on a lighter and transferred to a
San Francisco steamer and consigned to parties in San Francisco for sale. On January 23 there
were shipped 3,285 gallons; February 2, 13,534i gallons; now on hand, 315 gallons ; total prod-
uct, April to February, 17,134i gallons, worth about 45 cents per gallon in San Francisco. The
bones of the whale are worth about $10 per ton for soap-making in San Francisco, but their
shipment from Cojo is not considered profitable.
CARMELO CAMP. — At the south end of the Bay of Carmelo is a whaling-camp, consisting of
seventeen men all told ; all Portuguese, from Azores Islands, commanded by Captain Mariano.
The outfit is owned by a company of four, of whom Mariano is one, and the rest are outside
parties. The other sixteen are hired on different lays, averaging one-fiftieth. The captain receives
one-fifteenth. During the past year they have caught three humpback, one finback, and three
gray whales, one of the humpback whales iu the spring, which is unusual. Two hundred barrels
of oil have been obtained, the finback yielding .'ill barrels of a lighter oil, but selling for no more.
This company runs from October to March only, the men then disbanding and going elsewhere.
They have two whaling-boats only, and use the harpoons made by (T. W. I'roctor. at Cambria or
San Marcos, and also sometimes those made by Merritt, in Monterey. Carmelo is a very good
whaling-station, inferior to Monterey only, but there is not so good a chance for long chases of
whales. Three right whales were seen this year, but none caught. Last year Mariano's company
58 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THF FISHERIES.
was at Point Sor, farther south in Monterey County. There are many whales at Point Sur, but
the coast is very rugged and the sea runs very high, so that for much of the winter the boats had
to be hauled out of the water and the men dared not venture out. In 1878-'79 at Point Sur, one
humpback, three gray, and a right whale were taken, and in 1877-'7#, at Point Sur, one gray and
one-sulphur bottom. One large man-eater shark (Carcharodon rondeleti) was taken by the whalers
at Oarmelo last year.
MONTEKEY WHALING COMPANY. — Another whaling-camp is at Monterey. This consists of
twenty-three men all told, all Portuguese, and all but one from the Azores. This company has
no captain, but their most efficient man, Mr. Verissimo, is made secretary, having charge of all
business and receiving no salary. The three boat-headers in the company receive a lay of one
twenty-third, the cook is hired outright, and the residue of receipts are divided equally among the
other nineteen who own the outfit. This company, with changing membership, has been in
Monterey since 1855. Verissimo has been here since 1867. This year fourteen whales have been
obtained from September to April — seven gray whales (three down and four up whales), six hump-
back whales, and one right whale — besides two basking sharks (Cetorhinus ma^imus); in all 500
barrels of whale-oil and 8 of shark-oil.
The basking shark is rare here, sometimes not seen for twenty years. This year several were
seen in Monterey Bay. " When a man is on the lookout for whales he can't see sharks." The
sharks come to the surface at times, and remain quiet for a while, and their " flukes " and dorsal
fins may be seen by one who is watching. The shark-oil should be worth 60 to 75 cents a gallon,
each shark yielding 125 gallons. In 1878-'79 one humpback and three gray whales were taken,
making 185 barrels of oil, and in 1877-'7S eight whales, making 500 barrels. Years ago this busi-
ness paid better, for whales were more abundant, and higher prices were paid for the oil.
This company own three good boats, New Bedford made, and four guns of each kind. Their
harpoons are mostly made by Merritt, a blacksmith in Monterey. They are thought superior to
Proctor's, in that they are less likely to slip out of the whale ; the posterior flange of the head is
wider. With one of them nineteen whales have been shot. They are made of Swiss iron, and
cost $10 each.
The Monterey Democrat thus describes the dangers of shore- whaling in that vicinity : " On
Friday of last week the crew of one of our whale-boats narrowly escaped total destruction. They
had struck and made fast to a California gray, a species particularly vicious, and were approaching
him for a shot with the bomb-gun. There were a lot of porpoises around the creature, which sud-
denly appeared to be ' gallied ' by them, and paused in his race. The boat under sail and running
swiftly, got, unawares, within the sweep of the leviathan's tail, and when the shot was delivered
a stroke in response from that tremendous creature crushed like an egg-shell the timbers of its bow.
The sea rushed in through the fracture, and the boat being weighted down with her crew, an
anchor, and two heavy guns, sank below the surface. The captain had been struck in the side by
a fragment of the broken timbers, and was almost paralyzed. In the confusion, for a moment or
two, no one thought to cut the rope by which the fish was fast, and it had resumed its fight. A
tragedy was imminent, but luckily the captain recovering himself, ordered the rope to be cut, and
the immediate and most pressing danger was escaped. The peril was, however, still considerable.
Two of the crew could not swim, and they were all immersed to their necks in ice-cold water.
Once or twice the boat rolled over, and they were in that perilous condition for half an hour before
their consort, which was at some distance, heard their cries, and came to their rescue."
The following item about whaling at Monterey appeared in the Monterey Calif ornian:
TIIK WHALE FISHKUY. 59
"Last week our Portuguese fishermen killed a large female whale of the California gray
species (Rhackianectes ylni/cits), about GO feet in length, being some 22 feet larger than has ever
been killed here before — the average of females killed being about 42 feet. After cutting off the
blubber they found inside a nearly full-grown male calf, which measured 18 feet from the end of its
nose to the tip of its tail, or fluke, as the whalers call it; the circumference of the body at its
center 9 feet ; the head about 4 feet in length; pectoral tins 3 feet; breadth of tail 3| feet, and it
had two ridges on the lower jaw. When' brought on shore it still had 3 feet of the umbilical cord
attached to it. The whalebone on its upper jaw was soft and white; the tongue large and soft;
the eyes nearly full size, about as large as a cow's, and the skin was of a dark brown, mottled
white. It had no dorsal fin. The females, when with young, generally keep off shore when on
their way down south, to bring them forth in the warm waters of the bays of Lower California,
where they remain all winter and go north in the spring. The females, when with calf, are danger-
ous, as they often attack the boats of the whalers. The writer once saw a boat cut completely in
two by the flukes of one of these whales, and it looked as if it had been chopped in two by a dull
ax ; and several of the men were wounded. The term of gestation is about one year. Formerly
these marine monsters were so numerous in Monterey Bay that whalers would fill up lying at
anchor. Oftentimes they would be seen playing in the surf and rolling the barnacles out of their
sides and backs on the sand beach — an odd way of scratching themselves."
SAN SIMEON WHALING COMPANY. — The men in this company are all Portuguese but one,
and most of them are from the Azores Islands. Captain Clark (nee Machado) is from the Azores,
whence he shipped as a seaman to the United States. He began whale-fishing at Monterey, where
an American, Captain Davenport, the first California shore- whale fisher, was engaged before him.
In 1858 he began whaling at San Diego. In 1864 he was at Portuguese Bend, and in 1805
started the San Simeon Camp, where he has ever since remained.
There are twenty men in the camp at San Simeon. They are hired by Captain Clark, who
owns the entire outfit. The boat-pullers receive one-fiftieth of the lay (i. e., all receipts), ihe
boat-steerers receive one-fortieth, and the strikers one-sixteenth.
Thirteen whales have been taken this season (up to February 21). One summer whale or
humpback, November 15 ; the others all gray whales. No other kinds have ever been secured by
Clark, and the humpback whale is not taken later than December.
The last whale southward bound was taken January 29, and a few northward-bound whales
have been noticed — about February IS, the first February 7.
The following is the record of the number taken each year at San Simeon : 1865 to 1871, 20
to 25 each year, never less; 1872, 21 ; 1873, 22 ; 1874, 16; 1875, 12; 1876, 7; 1877, 13 ; 1878, 3;
1879, 14=500 barrels; 1880, 13+.
It takes about ten or twelve whales per year to pay the expenses of the camp, especially now
when oil is so low. Four hundred and fifty barrels of oil have been obtained this year and shipped
to Charles Sealy, of San Francisco, to be sold on commission. Since 1865 the whales have been
growing more scarce and more shy. When they return from the South they keep out farther than
when they come down. The sea is often rougher, and the head winds render it difficult to follow
them. They rarely take more than four return whales. At San Diego only gray whales, and
rarely a right whale, are taken.
The camp is provided with four whale-boats made in New Bedford, costing $200, $175, $150,
and $150 each. Two are in use for whaling and one for towing all the time, the other rests. There
are also two swivel-guns, made in England, each costing $200; two bomb-guns, made in New
Haven (T), costing $50; and some bomb-lances, made in Norway. The harpoons are made by G.
60 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
W. Proctor, formerly of Cambria, now of San Marcos, San Luis Obispo County. Mr. Proctor is a
blacksmith. He began making harpoons in 1870 or 1871. The first one made was presented
to Captain Clark, who struck three whales witli it and then put it up to keep for luck. Mr. Proc-
tor has no patent on the harpoons, and no warerooms or factory. He makes them out of the very
best iron, better than that used in the English harpoon. They are heavier thau the latter, and
the posterior part of the head is made thick, instead of thin and sharp. There is also a little con-
trivance by which the turning of the head in the flesh is made more certain. They are now used by
nearly all the California whalers, and are considered by them as better and more durable than the
others. The harpoons are used for making fast to the whale; the bombs for killing. Often flint
lance-heads and bone harpoons of the Eskimos are found in the whales, and very few of them are
unscathed. The neighboring Chinamen help when a whale is brought in, receiving the sinews
for their share. The total outfit is worth $1,000 to $1,500; the houses about $300.
Whales going down are fatter than when returning. A south-bound whale makes perhaps
35 barrels of oil, but a north bound only 25 barrels. Mostly bull whales are taken. On the south
journey the larger cows come nearest shore and first. When they return the cows and calves are
farthest out, the bulls and dry cows near shore.
Portuguese Bend was once a good whaling-station, but lacked wood and water. San Diego
was an excellent station until the only suitable place was taken by the Government. Santo Tomas
is a good place from the chance of taking sperm whales.
PORT STAKFOED CAMP. — This camp is located on " Whaler's Point," about a mile north of
the landing at "Port Stafford." This camp consists of 21 men, all but one Portuguese, and mostly
from the Azores. To the American, Michael Noon, I am indebted for the information obtained,
Captain Marshall (Marsiali) being away. The property is owned by four or five shareholders, the
captain being one of them and the others are hired by these, each man receiving a particular lay,
the oarsmen one sixty-fifth to one-seventieth, the boat-steerers one thirty-fifth to one-fortieth, the
strikers one-seventeenth to one-twentieth. The station is usually fairly good but this year they
have had poor luck; only four whales, all gray, having been secured. In 1879 nine, in 1878
eleven were taken. Most of these were gray; though a few humpbacks were taken in the fall.
One hundred and fifty barrels of oil have been shipped to San Francisco from this camp. They
have three whale-boats here made at New Bedford. The other items of outfit are the same as at
San Simeon. The whole cost about $1,500, and would sell for about half that amount.
Captain Marshall established the station here, and has been in charge all the time since its
beginning in 1868 or 1809. The men in this company, as at San Simeon, are discharged in the
summer, and a new set hired each fall, many of them different. Some of its members are engaged
in summer in fishing for the market of San Luis Obispo.
STATISTICAL RECAPITULATION. — The aggregate amount of oil taken by the several shore par-
ties, prior to 1874, is estimated by Scammon at not less than 95,600 barrels; of this amount 75,600
barrels were obtained from California gray whales, and 20,000 barrels from humpbacks, finbacks,
and sulphur-bottoms. "The value, of the oil may be placed at about $13 a barrel, which would give
a gross of about $1,242,800, or an annual product for twenty-two years of $56,490. To obtain this
oil not less than 2,160 California grays and 800 humpbacks and other whalebone whales were
robbed of their fatty coverings. If we add to this one-fifth for the number of whales that escaped
their pursuers, although mortally wounded, or were lost after being killed, either by sinking in
deep water or through stress of weather, we shall swell the catalogue to 3,552. To this add one-
eighth for unborn young, and the whole number of animals destroyed would be 3,996, or about
181 annually. This may be regarded as a low estimate ; doubtless, the number of these creatures
THE WHALE FISHERY. 61
destroyed every year by the enterprising California whalemen far exceeds the above estimate."*
The production of the various whaling-camps in 1ST!) was ii;5 whales, yielding 58,084 gallons of oil,
valued at si'iU.'lT.SO. The total number of men engaged at the camps was 101, nearly all of whom
were Portuguese.
SlIOin'.-WHALINCf BY ESKIMOS AND INDIANS.
The Eskimos of Alaska capture whales of several species, using their flesh for food and from
the blubber preparing oil for domestic use. The whalebone is saved and traded with the whaling-
vessels coming along those shores in the summer season. The beluga or white whale is also an
object of pursuit.
Mr. Petroff, in his census report on Alaska, says: "The oil obtained from the beluga and the
large seal (Maklak) is a vei\ impoiiant article of trade between the lowland people and those of
the mountains, the latter depending upon it entirely for lighting their semi-subterranean dwell-
ings during the winter, and to supplement their scanty stores of food. The oil is manufactured
by a very simple process. Iluge drift-logs are fashioned into troughs, much in the same manner
as the Thlinket tribes make their wooden canoes. Into these troughs filled with water the blubber
is thrown in lumps of from 1! to ."• pounds in weight; then a large number of smooth cobble-stones
are thrown into a fire until they are thoroughly heated, when they are picked up with sticks
fashioned for the purpose, and deposited in the water, which boils up at once. After a few
minutes these stones must be removed and replaced by fresh ones, this laborious process being
continued until the oil has been boiled out of the blubber and floats on the surface, when it is
removed with flat pieces of bone or roughly fashioned ladles, and decanted into bladders or whole
seal skius."t Mr. Petroff sends us the following graphic description of the hunt:
" BELUGA HUNTING AT ALASKA.— Next day about noon I was invited to participate in a canoe
excursion in pursuit of some beluga or white grampus, a member of the whale family, but of an aver-
age length of only 10 or I'D feet. The blubber of this animal is considered a great delicacy by the In-
dians in this neighborhood, and the Laiada chief wished to get a supply of that greasy staff of life
before returning home. Accordingly we started off in ten bidarkas, all the Indians being provided
with various sizes of spears, while I took nothing but my rifle. In half an hour after leaving the
mouth of the river the proposed hunting-ground was reached and the canoes separated in search
of the game. For some time we cruised about without seeing a 'blow,' but finally the long expected
signal shout was heard from one of the canoes, and all assembled immediately around their intended
victim, which was a female beluga, with a calf following in its wake. First the old one would come
up and blow, and in a few seconds after the young one would follow suit, throwing up a diminutive
spout. The calf was attacked first, and as soon as its blood dyed the water,- the dam turned
around as if in pursuit of the murderer, describing circles around the floating body of its offspring
and lashing the water into foam with its tail and flukes. While racing around the animal
received well-aimed spears from the bidarkas, which had formed a circle, and as these weapons
ate provided with inflated bladders near the head, the beluga was soon buoyed up on the surface
of the water, being too exhausted to draw under the large number of bladders fastened to its back
and sides, and in that position was easily killed. Three more were killed in the same manner, and
the party was preparing to return to the village when I thought I would try another way of secur-
ing the game, and without givingany notice to the men in the other canoes, as 1 ought to have done,
I aimed my rifle at a beluga which was showing its huge white back above the water a short dis-
tance from me. The shot went off and its effect was instantaneous, though not exactly as I had
' SrAMM<>\ : Marim- M;iimn;ili:i. p. -•">!.
t Alaska, its Population, Imlusin.-.s, anil Resources, by Ivan IVtroff. Tenth CCIISUN Vol. VIII.
62 HISTOEY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
expected. The shot was well aimed and hit the spine of the animal, inflicting a mortal wound ;
but while the beluga was floundering about in its death struggles, lashing the water into foam
dyed with its own red blood, one stroke of the" tail upset one of the canoes, throwing the inmates
into the water. There was plenty of assistance on hand, however; the canoe was righted, and the
men crawled into it, very wet to be sure, but not at all in a bad humor. The accident was the sub-
ject of jokes innumerable on the way home. When the last beluga had been secured, and its body
fastened to the stern of our canoe, the whole squadron was set in motion. With the tide in our
favor, we glided along swiftly in spite of the weighty carcasses we had in tow, and as we drew
near to the village the monotonous boat song was chanted by the men as they plied their paddles.
On the high bank of the river the old chief was standing ready to receive us, while the squaws
were sitting in the grass and watching our approach, joining with their shrill voices in the song
as soon as we were near enough to be heard. On our arrival at the beach the whole village had
assembled to view and admire the spoils of our day's sport. As soon as the belugas had been
dragged ashore, knives were drawn on all sides and slices of the blubber cut off and eaten raw,
apparently with great gusto, by old and young. I tasted a small morsel, and must confess that it
resembles raw bacon fat more than anything I ever swallowed ; but that is only the case imme-
diately after the killing; as soon as the blubber is half a day old the rancid, fishy taste is there
and grows stronger every day. It was dark before all tlie blubber had been cut off and safely
stored out of reach of the village dogs, but late as it was the chief's house was prepared for a con-
tinuation of yesterday's feast and games. I was not prepared for a second siege of that kind and
managed to slip away unobserved, glad to escape an ordeal which would have been more trying
on a Caucasian's olfactory nerves than that of the day before, on account of the fresh supply of
blubber and oil. Before I arose next day the visiting party from Laiada had taken their depart-
ure to set some other village in commotion, while the good people of Chketuk were yet reveling
in remembrance of the joys just past."
The Indians of Cape Flattery are said to derive their principal subsistence from fishery
products, the most important of which are the whale and halibut. Mr. James G. Swan, in a
report on the Makah Indians, in No. 220 Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, 1869, says:
"Of the former [whales] there are several varieties which are taken at different seasons of the
year. Some are killed by the Indians; others, including the right whale, drift ashore, having
been killed either by whalemen, swordfish, or other casualties. The various species of whales
are: The sperm whale, kots-k(§, .which is very rarely seen ; right whale, yakh'-yo-bad-di; blackfish,
klas-ko-kop-ph ; finback, kaii-wid; sulphur-bottom, kwa-kwau-yak'-t'hle ; California gray, che-
che-wid or chet'-a-puk; killer, se-hwau. The generic name of whales is chet'-a-puk. The
California gray is the kiml usually taken by the Indians, the others being but rarely attacked.
'' Their method of whaling, being both novel and interesting, will require a minute descrip-
tion— not only the implements used, but the mode of attack, and the final disposition of the whale,
being entirely different from the practice of our own whalemen.
" From information I obtained, I infer that formerly the Indians were more successful in kill-
ing whales than they have been of late years. Whether the whales were more numerous, or that
the Indians, being now able to procure other food from the whites, have become indifferent to the
pursuit, I cannot say ; but I have not noticed any marked activity among- them, and when they
do go out they rarely take a prize. They are more successful in their whaling in some seasons
than in others, and whenever a surplus of oil or blubber is on hand, it is exchanged or traded
with Indians of other tribes, who appear quite as fond of the luxury as the Makahs. The oil sold
by these whalers to the white traders is dogfish oil, which is not eaten by this tribe, although
TI1K WI1ALK K1RIIKKY. 63
the Clyoquot and Nootkan Indians use it with tlieir food. There is no portion of a whale, except
the vertebra and offal, which is useless to the Indians. The blubber and flesh serve for food; the
sinews are prepared and made into ropes, cords, and bowstrings; and the stomach and intestines
are can-fully sorted and inflated, and when dried are used to hold oil. Whale-oil serves the same
purpose with these Indians that butter does with civilized people; they dip their dried halibut
into it while eating, and use it with bread, potatoes, and various kinds of berries. When fresh,
it is by no means unpalatable; and it is only after being badly boiled, or by long exposure, that
it becomes rancid and as offensive to a white man's palate as the common lamp-oil of the shops."
5. DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPERM-WHALE FISHERY.
EARLY HISTORY OF WHALING AT NANTTJCKET. — The fishery for sperm whales began at a
much later period than that for right whales, but the exact date of its commencement is
unknown. The whales taken by the early settlers of New England were mostly the right or whale-
bone species and the first spermaceti whale known to the people of Nantncket caused great excite-
ment. It was found dead on the shore, and quite a dispute arose concerning its ownership, "for
the sperm procured from the head was thought to be of great value for medical purposes." It
would thus appear that sperm whales had been heard of by these people, but had not been seen by
them. " The first spermaceti whale taken by the Nantucket whalers," says Macy, " was killed by
Christopher Hussey. He was cruising near the shore for right whales, and was blown off some dis-
tance from the land by a strong northerly wind, where he fell in with a school of that species of
whales, and killed one and brought it home. At what date this adventure took place is not fully
ascertained, but it is supposed to be not far from 1712. This event gave new life to the business,
for they immediately began with vessels of about thirty tons to whale out in the ' deep,' as it was
then called, to distinguish it from shore-whaling. They fitted out for cruises of about six weeks,
carried a few hogsheads, enough probably to contain the blubbers of one whale, with which, after
obtaining it, they returned home. The owners then took charge of the blubber, and tried out the
oil, and immediately sent the vessel out again. In 1715 the number of vessels engaged in the
whaling business was six, all sloops of from thirty to forty tons burden each, which produced
£1,100 sterling, or $4,888.88." *
BEALE'S ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE SPERM-WHALE FISHERY.— The history of the sperm-
whale fishery is accurately given by Thomas Bealo,t in his history of the sperm-whale, in which
he says : " The origin of the sperm-whale fishery, that is before it became organized as a branch
of commerce — like the origin of other fisheries of the same nature, is involved in such deep
mystery as almost altogether to defy the searching acumen of the historian. Without looking into
the ancient, romancing, and classical histories, with which most of the countries of Europe abound,
and which contain wonderful stories of the appearance, death, or capture of the sperm-whale, or
other creatures of the same order, it may be sufficient for some of us to know that during the
early part of the last century a few daring individuals who inhabited the shores of the American
continent, fitted out their little crafts, furnished with wea,k and almost impotent weapons, to
attack and destroy in its own element the mighty monarch of the ocean, in order to rob his
immense carcass of the valuable commodity with which it is surrounded. But even as far back as
the year 1667 we find a letter, published in the second volume of the Philosophical Transactions,
from Mr. Richard Norwood, who resided at the Bermudas, which states that the whale-fishery had
• .MAI'Y: Hist. Nantncket, )>|>. :!•>,:!<;.
t The Natural History of I he S).nm-\Vhiilo by Tboiuas I'.rjilr, Surgeon: London, IWlli; 12uio.,pp. 383.
64 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
been carried on in the bays of those islands for ' two or three years,' evidently meaning the black-
. whale fishery ; for in smother part he says: ' I hear not that they have found any spermaceti in
any of those whales;' but subsequently he states in the same letter: 'I have heard from credible
persons that there is a kind of whale having great teeth, as have the spermaceti, at Elentheria and
others of the Bermuda Islands. One of this place, John Perinchief, found one there dead, driven
upon an island, and though I think ignorant of the business, yet got a great quantity of sperma^
ceti out of it.' He says again: 'It seems they have not so much oil as ours (meaning the black
whale), but the oil, I hear, is at first like spermaceti, but they clarify it, I think, by the fire.'
"But in volume iii, Philosophical Transactions," continues Beale, "in a letter from the
same place, written a year or two afterwards, we find something like a beginning of the sperm-
whale fishery threatened by a Mr. Richard Stafford, who informs us that he has killed several
black whales himself, and who is represented as a very intelligent gentleman. He says : ' Great
stores of whales make use of our coast ; ' but in another part he states : ' But here have been seen
spermaceti whales driven upon the shore. These have divers teeth about the bigness of a man's
wrist. I have been,' says he, 'at the Bahama Islands, and there have seen of this same sort of
whale, dead on the shore, with spenna all over their bodies. Myself and about twenty others
have agreed to try whether we can master and kill them, for I could never hear of any of that
sort that was killed by any man, such is their fierceness and swiftness.' He concludes by remark-
ing that 'one such whale would be worth many hundred pounds.' A weighty reason for the
establishment of the fishery, no doubt. The same writer, in another part of his letter, states:
' There is one island among the Bahamas, which some of our people are settled upon, and more
are coming thither. It is called New Providence, where many rare things might be discovered,
if the people were bui. encouraged.' This same New Providence afterwards became so famous as
a whale-fishing station by the exertions of our American descendants. But even before these
needy adventurers commenced their career of spermaceti hunting, we have had it proved to us
that the Indians who inhabited the shores of America used to voyage out to sea and attack this
animal from their canoes, and pierce him with their lances of wood or other instruments of the
same material, which were barbed, and which, before they were plunged into his flesh, were
fastened by a short warp, or piece of rope, to a large block of light wood, which was thrown over
board the moment the barbed instrument was thrust into its body, which, being repeated at every
rising of the whale, or when they were so fortunate as to get near enough to do so, in a few
instances, by a sort of worrying-to-death system, rewarded the enterprising savage with the
lifeless body of his victim, but which in most cases was that of a very young one ; and even this,
when towed to the shore, it was impossible for them to turn over, so that they were obliged to
content themselves with flinching the fat from one side of the body only.
" But although, as has been before stated, Mr. Richard Stafford had threatened to commence
the sperm-whale fishery at the Bahama Islands, it appears rather doubtful whether he did so or
not, when we come to peruse the letter of the Hon. Paul Dudley, F. R. S., published in 17:34, Phil.
Trans., vol. xxxiii, an extract of which states: 'I very lately received from Mr. Atkins, an inhabit-
ant of Boston, in New England, who used the whale-fishery for ten or twelve years (black whales),
and was one of the first that went out a fishing for the spermaceti whales about the year 1720.'
It also appears in this account that the fishery even then was very little understood, for Mr.
Atkins himself says 'he never saw, nor certainly heard of a spermaceti female taken in his life,'
for he states 'the cows of that species of whale, being much more timorous than the males, and
almost impossible to come at, unless when haply found asleep upon the water, or detained by
their calves.' In another part of this letter the Hon. Paul Dudley states: ' Our people formerly
THE WHALE FISHERY.
65
used to kill the whale near the shore ; but now they go off to sea in sloops and whale boats in the
months of May, June, and July, bet wren < 'ape Cod and Bermuda, where they lie by in the night,
and sail to and again in the day, and seldom miss of them ; they bring- home the blubber in their
sloops. The true season for taking the right or whalebone whale is from the beginning of .lime
to the end of May; for the spermaceti whales, from the. beginning of June to the end of August.'"
CONDITION OF THE FISHERY FROM ITiio TO 1775. — About the middle of the eighteenth cen-
tnr.\ the value of oil increased by the opening up of new markets, and the people of New England
pushed forward with zeal in the whaling- industry. The English, French, and Dutch had been
very successful in the northern fishery for whalebone whales, but had taken no part in the capture
of sperm whales, leaving this work for the American fleet which began to grow rapidly in the
number and size of its vessels. In 1720 the whaling fleet of New England numbered only a few
sloops of about 30 tons each, making voyages east to Newfoundland and south to the Gulf Stream.
T.y 1731 the American fleet amounted to 1,300 tons, and the size of the vessels increased so that
in 1746 schooners and brigs from 100 to 130 tons were employed. Just before the Revolutionary
war the whaling industry was very prosperous in New England, the fleet was large, and the profits
considerable. Voyages were made to the north and south for sperm and right whales, but the chief
object of pursuit was the sperm whale, whose oil was nearly three times the value of that of the
right whale. The principal grounds visited for the sperm whale were off the coast of Brazil and
Guiana, various parts of the West Indies, the Cape Verde and Western Islands, and eastward of
the Banks of Newfoundland.
Scammon gives the following statistics to show the condition of the business from 1762 to
1770, inclusive:
Tear.
Number of
vessels.
Numhrr of
barrel.-!.
Value of pro-
duction.
1762
78
9 440
$109 518 40
1763*
60
100 394 68
1704
7°
11 983
131 135 38
1705
101
11 512
125 020 32
1766
118
11 969
1°9 '1S3 °4
1767
108
179 g52 46
1768
125
15 439
11)7 CO" 54
1769
119
19 140
40'' 990 60
1770 .. .
125
14 331
340 666 89
900
119,013
1, 746, 165 51
* Scoresby, in his account of the Whale Fishery of the British Colonies iD America, stairs there were eighty vessels employed in the
American fisheries during the year 1763.
''About 1774," says Scatnnion, " the fleet was augmented by still larger vessels, some of which
crossed the equator, and obtained full cargoes upon that noted ground called the ' Brazil Banks,'
while others cruised around Cape Verde Islands or the West Indies, in the Gulf of Mexico, Carib-
bean Sea, or upon the coast of the Spanish Main. Soon after they extended their voyages to the
South Atlantic, around the Falkland Islands, and to the coast of Patagonia, where fur-seal skins
and sea-elephant oil were sometimes obtained. In such instances these whaling and sealing
expeditions were called ' mixed voyages.'"*
"Between the. years 1770 and 1775," says Macy, "the whaling business increased to an extent
hitherto unparalleled. In 1770 there were a little more than one hundred vessels engaged ; and
in 177") the number exceeded one hundred and fifty, some of then: large brigs. The employment
* SCAMMOX: Marine Mammalia and American Whale Fishery, p.
SEC. v, VOL. ii 5
66 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
of so great and such an increasing capital may lead our readers to suppose that a corresponding
profit was realized ; but a careful examination of the circumstances under which the business was
carried on will show the fallacy of such a conclusion. Many branches of labor were conducted by
those who were immediately interested in the voyages. The young men, with few exceptions,
were brought up to some trade necessary to the business. The rope-maker, the cooper, the black-
smith, the carpenter, in fine, the workmen, were either the ship-owners or of their household ; so
were often the officers and men who navigated the vessels and killed the whales. Whilst a ship
was at sea, the owners at home were busily employed in the mamifactory of casks, iron work,
cordage, blocks, and other articles for the succeeding voyage. Thus the profits of the labor were
enjoyed by those interested in the fishery, and voyages were rendered advantageous even when
the oil obtained was barely sufficient to pay the outfits, estimating the labor as a part thereof.
This mode of conducting the business was universal, and has continued to a very considerable
extent to the present day. Experience taught the people how to take advantage of the different
markets for their oil. Their spermaceti oil was mostly sent to England in its uusepaiated state,
the head matter being generally mixed with the body oil; for, in the early part of whaling it
would bring no more when separated than when mixed. The whale oil, which is the kind pro-
cured from the species called ' right whale,' was shipped to Boston or elsewhere in the colonies, and
there sold for country consumption!, or sent to the West Indies.'1*
The extraordinary zeal that the Americans took in the whale-fishery at this time called forth
from Mr. Burke that glowing tribute which has become familiar to every American. " Whether
this eloquent address," says Beale, " had any effect or not upon the minds of our own merchants
and ship-owners in stimulating them to fit out ships lor the sperm and other whale-fisheries,
I am not aware, but it is certain that in the followiug year (1775) the first attempt was made to
establish the sperm whale fishery from Britain; and we accordingly find, from private state-
ments on which I can securely rely, that ships of from 100 to 109 tons burden were sent to South
Greenland, coast of Brazil, Falkland Islands, and the Gulf of Guinea, for the purpose of procuring-
sperm and other oils. The names of the ships which were thus employed in these distinct expedi-
tions were the Union, Neptune, Rockingham, America, Abigail, Hanover, Industry, Dennis,
Beaver, and Sparrow, but the principal places of resort of the spermaceti whale not having been
yet discovered, the vessels met with very trifling success.
"BOUNTIES GRANTED. — In the following year, 1776, the Government, with a view to stimulate
all persons engaged in these fisheries, established a principle of reward for those ships which were
most successsful in their endeavors ; in accordance with which, five different bounties or premiums
were offered, forming a scale of prizes for those who were so fortunate as to prove the five grada-
tions of success, the sum of £500 being the maximum, and that of £100 being the minimum prize.
In 1781 four ships were fitted out for the river St. Lawrence, but after they had been out a
considerable time they returned with the discouraging announcement of having only procured C
gallons of sperm oil among them during the whole time of their absence.
"SPERM WHALES FROM FRANCE. — In 17S4, France, which it appears had preceded the other
nations of Europe in the whale-fishery, but had for many years past, for some cause or other,
hardly had any share in it, now endeavored to revive it, and with this view Louis XVI fitted out
six ships from Dunkirk on his own account, which were furnished at a great expense with a
number of experienced harpooners and able seamen from Nantucket. The adventure was more
successful than could have been reasonably expected, considering theauspicies under which it was
carried on. Several private individuals followed the example of His Majesty, according to Mr.
* MACY : Hist. Nantucket, p. 68.
THK W!!AIJ<; FISHERY. 67
M <•( 'ullock, ' and in 1790 France bad about forty sbips employed in tbe fishery. The Revolutionary
war destroyed every vestige of this rising trade. Since the peace the Government has made great
efforts for its renewal, but hitherto without success ; aud it is singular, that with the exception of
an American house at Dunkirk, hardly any one has thought of sending out a ship from France.'
"A PROSPEROUS PERIOD.— In the year 1785 the English shipmasters began to discover the
haunts of the sperm whale, the principal object of pursuit, for we find that after they had been
out twelve months many vessels returned with from 20 to SO tons of sperm oil each, so that in the
year 1780 we find 321 tons of sperm oil was brought to this country, and which sold for £43 per
ton. And the success which attended our whaling expeditious at this time was quite equal to
that which the American whalers met with. In 1786 the bounties were increased to £700 maxi-
mum and £300 minimum, which had the effect of increasing the perseverance and activity of our
whalers, for we now discover them staying out eighteen and even twenty-eight months, and
bringing home much larger quantities of sperm oil. During the year 1788 the ships that were
sent out were much increased in size, so that they were frequently of from 150 to 300 tons burden,
and they still continued, like the Americans, to fish on this side Cape Horn, taking the common
black, as well as the sperm whale, at such places as the Gulf of Guinea, coast of Brazil, Falkland
Islands, and, for sperm whales in particular, about the equinoctial line. But if the Americans had
been the first to establish the fishery ou their own shores, and even throughout the North and
South Atlantic Oceans, it was the destiny of the mother country to enjoy the honor of opening the
invaluable sperm fisheries of the two Pacifies, the discovery of which formed an era in the com-
mercial history of this country. For not only was tbe sperm-whale fishery by this discovery
prodigiously increased, but other commercial advantages accrued from the whalers who resorted
to these seas opening a trade with the people who inhabited the extensive shores which bound
the enormous ocean."*
"In the year 1789 a gentleman from Cape Cod, who had returned from service in the East
India Company, having seen sperm whales near Madagascar, communicated the fact to some of
tbe Nantucket whalemen, who, profiting by the knowledge, in due time dispatched ships to that
coast, which proved to be a rich whaling grouud."t
The American whale fishery, just before the Eevolutionary war, employed a total of not less
than 360 vessels of various kinds, with an aggregate burden of nearly 33,000 tons, and produced
about 45,000 barrels of spermaceti oil, 8,500 barrels of whale oil, and 75,000 pounds of whalebone
annually. By the year 1789 this large fleet bad been reduced to about 130 sail of vessels, pro-
ducing annually scarcely 10,000 barrels of spermaceti oil aud about 15,000 barrels of whale oil,
with a corresponding proportion of whaleb<
THE BEGINNING op THE PACIFIC SPERM-WHALE FISHERY. — " In 1788," says Beale, "the grand
mercantile speculation of sending ships round Cape Horn into the Pacific, in order to extend the
sperm-whale fishery, was reserved for the bold and enterprising mind of Mr. Enderby, a London
merchant and ship-owner, who fitted out, at a vast expense, the ship Amelia,! Captain Shields,
which sailed from England on. the 1st of September, 1788, and returned on the 12th of March,
1790, making an absence of one year and seven months, but bringing home the enormous cargo
of 139 tons of sperm oil, and likewise having the good fortune to receive £800 more by way of an
increased bounty in consequence of the peculiar nature of the expedition. The Amelia having
been the first ship of any country which had entered the Pacific in search of whales, her suc-
*BEAiE: op. tit., \>p. 144-141!. tSCAMMON': Marine Mammalia, p. 209.
{The Amelia was an English fitted ship, iiuinuud by the Nantucket colony of whalemen; her first mate, Archelua
Hammond, of Nantucket, killed the first sperm whale known to have been taken in the Pacific Ocean.
08 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
cess gave an amazing impulse to all persons engaged in the fisheries, so that several ships, both
from this country and America, immediately followed in her track, for on her return in 1790 many
vessels were directly sent off, the crews of which continued the fishery along the coasts of Chili
and Peru with great advantage; so that in 1791 we had a great addition in the importation of
sperm oil, amounting this year to 1,1! .X tons, making an increase over the importation in the year
178C of 9.':H tous. In 1791 the bounties were again altered, but the alteration merely related to
the time the ships should remain out. The ships which were at this time engaged in the fishery
carried from twenty-two to thirty men each. This enterprising branch of commerce was carried-
on year after year with considerable success, subject to but slight variations in the annual and
gradual increase in the importation of oil, giving employment to a vast number of persons, many
of whom were enriched to an immense amount by the success which attended their exertions in
this now profitable pin suit."*
The new grounds tor sperm whale in the Pacific discovered by American whalemen in
English vessels, were soon resorted to by vessels from Nautuckef. The first vessels sailed in
1791, and returned "loaded with oil, and reported that whales were plenty, the coast agreeable to
eiuise on, and the climate, healthy. Tin's was sufficient encouragement, notwithstanding the
length of the voyages, for a considerable part of the whaling interest to be directed that way.
An additional number of vessels was then fitted out, which together made a considerable fleet."!
Starbnek says that six ships sailed for ihe Pacific fishery in 17!H from Nantueket and one from
New Bedford. In the mean time ships from Dunkirk, among them the Falkland, Canton, and the
Harmony, had already performed their voyages, and in February, 1791', arrived at Dunkirk with
full cargoes. It was the custom in those days to nearly fill with sperm, then return to the
Atlantic Ocean and complete their load on the coast of Patagonia or on Brazil Banks, com-
manders preferring to round Cape Horn with a snugly-loaded ship. The names of the six Nan-
tucket vessels were the Beaver, Washington, Hector, Warren. Kebeeea. and Favorite. "These
ships," says Scammon, " were only -•">() tons burden, dull sailers, having no copper on their bottoms,
and but scantily fitted with whaling appliances or provisions. The scene of their first exploits was
upon the coast of Chili. These pioneer voyages, through the persistent daring of the hardy men
who led them, were eminently successful, which induced the people of the neighboring settle-
ments of other New England ports to extend their whaling commerce, and but few years passed
before a numerous fleet were plying over those rough waters. Gradually, however, they extended
their cruises toward the more distant but smiling regions of the tropics. As early as 1SOO,|
American whalers were plowing the sparkling waters along the coast of Peru, and their keels
cut the equatorial line, north and south, in the Pacific. A favorite cruising-ground was from the
Spanish Main westward around the Galapagos Islands. There a rich harvest rewarded them, where
(hey labored in a genial climate, with an almost uninterrupted succession of fine breezes and
pleasant weather. At certain seasons, north of the equator, the northeast trades blew fresh, and
at the south they would frequently increase to a brisk gale; but these periodical breezes, compared
with the heavy gales of the Atlantic and the tedious weather about Cape Horn, served only to
enliven them into renewed activity under the heated rays of a tropical sun, when in pursuit of
the vast herds of cachalots which were met with, bounding over or through the crested waves.
During these long voyages it became unavoidably necessary to occasionally go into port, in order
to 'recruit ship.' When arrived at these places of .supply, good store of fresh meat, water, and
vegetables was laid in, and the ship's company were allowed to pass, in turn, a few clays of
liberty on shore. In due time those ports along the coast of Chili and Peru, which were suited
*BEA_LK: o/i. <H., pp. 146-149. t MACY : Hisl JM:itu<-Kct. p. 141. t N:intiii-Kn IMP i
TIII-: \\II.\LK KISIIKIIY. 69
to the requirements of (lie adventurers, became, famous places of resort for American \vhale ships.
The principal ones were Talralmano and Valparaiso, in Chili, and Payta, Callao, and Tumhe/, in "*•
Peru. At these places usually could be obtained any needed recruits, and the picturesque scenery,
blended with those sunny climes, together with the charms of the beautiful women, made their
periodical visits to the coast peculiarly atlractivc, and wrought an entire temporary change from
the lifeou -blue water/ The abrujn and lofty group of islands, the Galapagos, which extend into
both latitudes from the equator, and the little island of Cocos, situated in the rainy region ou the
border of I'anaina Hay, were frequently visited, and became more familiar to the whalemen, in
many instances, than their Atlantic homes. Every rugged mountain and verdant valley of the
former were Ira versed in hunting the galapago. or 'elephant terrapin,' which furnished them with
ample supply of the most delicious meat, and the latter was resorted to for fresh water, which
was dipped from cascades flowing out of their natural icservoir beyond the wooded bluffs. And
upon the rocks about the beach of Chatham Bay, rudely chiseled, are the records of those pioneer
\\lialc fishers, with the dates of the visits of transient vessels, from the pigmy shallops of Drake's
time to the magnificent national ships of the present century."*
SPERM WHALING AT NEW ZEALAND AND THE OFFSHORE GROUND.— The sperm-whale
lislicry at Xcw Zea'and began about the year ISO:.', and in LS03, according to Beale, " many vessels
were plowing the Cliiua Seas, about the Molucca Islands, in search of the sperm whale."t In
isist ('apt. George Gardner, in the ship Globe, of Nantucket, discovered the famous "offshore
ground " that was soon visited by scores of sperm whalers. In speaking of this discovery Scammon
says: "The love of adventure tempted the whalers to turn their prows even from the sunny shores
of Peru, and, with flowing sheets, they coursed over the Pacific until, in latitude 5° to 10° south
and longitude 105° to 11'.")° west, the objects of pursuit were found in countless numbers, whose
huge forms blackened the ^avcs and whose spoutiugs clouded the air as far as the eye could dis-
cern."
THE JAPAN GROUND. — The next important sperm-whale ground to be discovered was the
Japan Ground. The honor of opening this profitable whaling ground is claimed by both Ameri-
cans and Englishmen. According to 8tarbuck,§ "having received word from Captain Winship,
of Brighton, Mass., who had friends at Nantucket, that on a recent voyage from China to the
Sandwich Islands he had seen large numbers of sperm whales on that coast, Capt. Joseph Allen,
in the ship Mars, was dispatched there." The Mars sailed from Nantucket October 2C, 1819, arriv-
ing home March 10, 1822, with 2,41'.") barrels of sperm oil, and within two or three years a licet of
thirty sail of vessels were crui.Miigou the new ground. By 1835 there were cruising in the North
1'acilic, between the coasts of New Albion ou the east and the Japan Islands on the west, near a
hundred ships. || one-third English, and the others Americans.
The first English whaling vessel to visit the ne\v lield was the ship Syren, of .7)00 tons burden,
commanded by Capt. Frederick Cotlin, of Nantucket, and carrying a crew of thirty-six seamen.
"The Syren,'' says Beale. •• sailed from England on the 3d of August, 1819, and arrived off the
coast of Japan on the r>th of April, 1821), where she fell in with immense numbers of the sperma-
ceti whale, which her crew gave chase to with excellent success; for they returned to their native
land ou the 21st of April, 1822, after an absence of about two years and eight months, during
which time they had by their industry, courage, and perseverance, gathered from the confines of
the North Pacific Ocean no less than the enormous quantity of 34'i tons [2,708 barrels] of sperm
..MM.IX: op. ait., |.|p. -,MO, -,>11. tliEALi:: up. cit.. ]>. \ \\<.
} Prnrrrilm.i;- Ainrri,:iii Ant ,i| 11:11 i:i n Society, X<>. 57, ]>. '".'. $Kepon.U. S. Fish Commission, ISTiVTC, p. 96.
|| MACY: ili>i. N.-nitucket, p. 224.
70 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
oil, which was brought into the port of London in safety and triumph, showing a success unprec-
edented in the annals of whaling, and which astonished and .stimulated, to exertion all those
engaged in the trade throughout Europe and America. The success which attended this expedi-
tion not only rewarded the seamen and others who composed the crew, but the spirited owner
who had sent them out also must have felt the solid and weighty considerations which he no
doubt received in return for the great and successful enterprise to which he had given origin.
After the return of the Syren the Japan fishery was speedily established, and remains to this day
[1839] the principal one in both ratifies ; and although it has been so much resorted to by ships
of different nations ever since, which have carried off immense quantities of sperm oil, yet such is
the boundless space of ocean throughout which it exists, that the whales scarcely appear to be
reduced in number. But they are more difficult to get near than they were some years back, on
account of the frequent harassing they have met with from boats and ships, so that they have
now become well aware of the reckless nature of their pursuers, and they evince great caution and
instinctive cunning ia avoiding them."*
SPERM WHALING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN.— "In 1828," says Scammori, "four ships were sent
from Nantucket to cruise for sperm whales off the coast of Zanzibar, around the Seychelle Islands,
and about the ujouth of the Bed Sea; and one of the number, with the very appropriate name of Co-
lumbus, through the skill and energy of the captain, sailed up the Red Sea in quest of the objects
of pursuit." t The Seychelle Islands had been visited by the English whaler Swan, a vessel of 150
tons, in 1823, for the purpose of searching for sperm whales, and the captain had been directed to
prosecute the fishery, it' possible, at the entrance of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. The expedition
did not prove as successful as was anticipated, though the effect of opening up the new fields was
of great subsequent advantage, "for although," says Beale, " the Swan did not return until the 27th
of April, 1825, and had only procured 40 tons of sperm oil during all the time of her absence, yet her
want of entire success was not owing to the absence of whales at the places to which they were
sent, for the crew saw immense numbers, but from a series of misfortunes which befel them, and
which rendered them incapable of prosecuting the fishery with all the energy and entire devotion
which it requires to bring about a successful termination. The ships which resorted to the Sey-
chelles after the return of the Swan had good reason to be well satisfied with the success which
attended their efforts, not only from the number of whales which they found there, but from its
being so much nearer home than the Japan fishery, by which much time was saved in the outward
and homeward passages." \
CONDITION OF THE FISHERY, 1837 TO 1880. — In the year 1837 the sperm-whale fishery was at
its highest point of prosperity. The production of the American fleet that year was 5,329,138
gallons of sperm oil, valued at $4,396,538.85. Most of the fleet at this period were scattered over
the various grounds in the North and South Pacific Oceans, and in the Japan Sea, and cargoes of
over 3,000 barrels were not uncommon on a three years' cruise. " Most of our whale ships," says
Macy. in 1835, in his History of Nantucket, " go into the Pacific by the way of Cape Horn ; some by
the eastern route south of New Holland and Van Dieman's Laud ; others after cruising awhile in
the Indian Ocean, in the. neighborhood of Madagascar and mouth of the Red Sea, pursue their way
into the Pacific Ocean through the Straits of Timor, between New Guinea on the south and the
Pelew Islands on the north, touching at the Ladroue Islands, and then onward to the Japan coast.
They there meet ships which sailed from home about the same time with themselves and came by
the way of Cape Horn. Others, too, meet at the same place that came by the route south of New
* BEALE: op. cit., p. 149. tScAMMON: 07). cit., p. 212. t BEALE: op. cit., p. 152.
THE WTIAIJ-: KIS1IF.[;\. 71
Holland. It must appear obvious that our whale ships are exploring in a. more effectual manner
tliau twenty national ships could every part of the vast Pacific. They liavo discovered many
islands, reefs, and shoals, which navigators sent out expressly for exploring purposes had passed
unseen."
The extraordinary success of the licet of whalers led to a rapid increase in the number of
vessels engaged, so that in 1839 the' lleet of the United States numbered 555 vessels, whose aggre-
gate tonnage was ir>!),354 tons. Nearly 500 of these vessels were ships and barks, a large propor-
tion of which were in the Pacific sperm whale fishery. In 1842 the number was 594, at which
time, according to Scammon, the foreign whaling fleet amounted to 230 sail, and the combined
fleet of the world engaged in whaling was si'4 vessels. The fleet from the United States reached
its highest number in 1841!, when 078 .ships, 34 brigs, and 17 schooners and sloops, a total of
729 vessels, measuring 230,.'>3(! tons, were engaged in this industry. It is impossible to give the
exact number of these vessels that were engaged in sperm whaling, but it is probable from a
careful estimate that nearly one-half of the entire fleet followed this branch of the whale fishery.
In 1844 the sperm-whale fleet of the United States numbered 315 vessels, of which 242 were ships
and barks in the Pacific-, and 73 schooners in the Atlantic sperm fishery. At about this time the
Few Holland branch of the English whale fishery was rapidly growing, the proximity of those
whaling ports of Australia to some of the most productive cruising-grounds enabling the ships
fitted out there to perform three voyages while the English and American were performing two.
The number of whale ships from French, German, and Danish ports at this time, according to
Cheever, was between CO and 70, and the English fleet, which in 1821 numbered 323 ships, was
reduced to 85.
The fleet from the United States began now to decrease, and the receipts of sperm oil became
less and less, until in 1860 the entire production of sperm oil by American vessels was only
2,306,934 gallons. The price of this oil, however, had advanced from 82J cents in 1837 to $1.41£
per gallon, and the entire fleet of whaling vessels was reduced to 560 sail. In 1870 the receipts
of sperm oil had further decreased to 1,738,265 gallons, and the whaling fleet numbered 316 sail,
of which number 231 were principally sperm whaling and the balance right whaling. These
sperm whalers were distributed over the various grounds as follows: 125 in the North and South
Atlantic, 41 in the Indian Ocean, and 65 in the Pacific Ocean. In 1875 the sperm-whale fleet
numbered 134 sail and the entire whaling fleet 163 vessels, aud the receipts of sperm oil were
1,342,435 gallons.
The general decline of the whale-fishery, resulting partly from the scarcity of whales, has led
to the abandonment of many of the once famous grounds, and cargoes of sperm oil are obtained
only after the most energetic efforts in scouring the oceans. In the Western Pacific Ocean, the
Indian Ocean, and the Japan Sea, where once large fleets of vessels cruised, there are now but few.
The results of this branch of the whale-fishery during the year is; 7 on the different grounds were
varied. In the North Atlantic Ocean eighty-two vessels took 13,500 barrels, the largest yield
for many years. Good catches were also taken by the fleet off Chili, on the Off-shore Ground, at
New Zealand, and the Sooloo Sea. Vessels in the South Atlantic had fair success, while but little
oil was taken in the Indian Ocean.
In 18SO the Indian Ocean and Sooloo Sea sperm-whale grounds were abandoned by the Ameri-
can fleet.
LENGTH OF VOYAGES. — The length of a sperm-whaling voyage in the North Atlantic, where
it is generally carried on in the smaller class of vessels, is from six to eighteen months, though
occasionally a vessel may return with a fair cargo in five months, while another vessel of large size
HISTOEY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
may remain from home for three years. Voyages to the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean occupy
from two to four years, depending largely upon the abundance of whales. These vessels are
principally ships and barks, the schooners and brigs finding employment in the North Atlantic
fishery.
The Pacific Ocean whalers remain from home three or four years, or even a greater length of
time, transshipping their oil from San Francisco, Honolulu, and South American ports, and taking
sup] dies from time to time at convenient places.
STATISTICS FOR 1880. — The receipts of sperm oil from the American fleet in the year 1880
were 1,184,841 gallons, the smallest quantity, with the exception of the years 1865 and 1874, received
since the year 1826. The entire yield of the fleet from 1804 to 1880 was 166,604,496 gallons, and the
number of sperm whales taken, allowing 25 barrels to each whale and 10 per cent, of those taken
as lost, was 232,790. The receipts of sperm oil by decades since the year 1810 were as follows :
Period.
Quantity.
1810 to 1820
Gallons.
-, y-,9 495
1820 to 1830
22 848 336
1830 to 1840
41,241 310
1840tol850
39, 146 055
1850 to 1860
26 260 806
I860 to 1870
1C 305 377
1870 <<> 1880 .
12,8111 in::
The products of the sperm-whale fishery, in addition to the oil from the blubber and head,
and ivory from the teeth, includes that very valuable substance ambergris, which when pure is
worth its weight in gold. A full discussion of the manner of obtaining 'ambergris and the value
of the production is given in the section of this report treating of Preparation of Products.
CAPT. H. W. SEABUEY ON SPERM WHALES. — " The largest sperm whale that I have seen
taken," says Gapt. H. W. Seabnry, of New Bedford, " was 120 barrels ; though I have heard of one
that made 148 barrels. The male or bull, when full grown, varies from 70 to 110 barrels, very
seldom going beyond the latter amount, and is from 50 to 70 feet long. Female or cow sperm
whales have been caught that made 50 barrels, though they do not often yield more than -35 barrels.
They vary much in size in different places. In the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and along the
Gulf Stream through the Atlantic, they run small, and full-grown cows will not average over 15
barrels. Those caught in the Pacific Ocean near the equator as far as longitude 135° west, average
about 25 barrels while those caught farther west and in most parts of the Indian Ocean run
smaller. The cows with their young give from nothing up to 35 barrels, and seem to go in schools
together, and we frequently see from twenty-five to fifty and sometimes one hundred or more in a
school, with occasionally a large bull among them, and at times, though seldom, we find all
sizes together. The male or bull whales seem to separate from the cows and calves when
about the size of 35 barrels, .is we seldom get them in the schools of the mother and its young to
make more oil than that, and we find the young bulls in pods or schools beyond that size ; we find
them in what we call 40-barrel bulls, where they generally go in larger numbers than they do as
they increase in size ; we find them again in smaller schools of about the size of 50 barrels, and
again about 60 barrels, where we sometimes see eight or ten together, and 70 barrels four or five, and
beyond that one, two, and three, except on New Zealand Ground, where the large whales go in larger
bodies ; many times we raise a large sperm whale alone, or sometimes two within a short distance of
each other, going their regular course from 3 to 6 miles per hour ; they will make their course as
Till', \\1IALE FISIIKUY. 7)3
.straight as we can steer a ship, and make I heir distances very regular during tlie time they are up
and down: a large whale will usually stay down when not disturbed I'roui forty to lif'ty minutes; have
kuowu them to stay down otic hour; their time on the top of the water about fifteen minutes — spout-
ing during that time, say forty-live times, or three times to the minute. Schools are quite often seen
going off their regular course. The small whale does not slay down so long as the large one, and
is not quire so regular; when feeding they are up and down quite often. The usual way of raising
or discovering the whale is from the mast heads, where men are stationed all the time in good
weather during the day ; the spoilt is generally seen first, unless they are breaching or lap-tailing,
which makes white water and is more easily seen than the spoilt, and can be seen farther off. In a very
clear day with a moderate bree/.e a spoilt can be seen G miles, and sometimes 7 miles, and a breach
11' when a large one. A breach is when the whale comes out of water ; he generally comes out head-
foremost two-thirds of his length and falls over on his side, which throws up a large amount of
water : the size of the breach is in proportion to the whale. A lap-tail is when the whale throws
his tail out of water, and when he lets it down it usually throws up a great deal of water, and
experienced whalemen can tell the different kind of whales very readily shortly after they see them
spout, or by their breach; the sperm-whale spout is blown out forward and from the forward end
of the head, and is thick and bushy, while the finback is straight up and thin ; the right is forked
forming two spouts at the top ; the humpback is lower and thin ; the breach of a sperm whale, when
made regular, will be like a cone and be much higher than other whales, which are lower, and
makes more of a splash— spreading out; the length of the sperm whale are according to their
si/.e; the longest I should think would not exceed 70 feet, the head forming about one-third of the
length, arid making about one-third of the oil. There are some exceptions as to this; the lar.c
whale will usually make 3S per cent, head, while the smaller one will not make over 30 per cent.,
so that it makes some difference in a cargo that is obtained of large whales or small ones. The case
of a large whale, which is the top of the head, will yield from 8 to lii barrels pure spermaceti. In
former years it was the custom to hang the same in the ship's tackles, and bail the oil out in buckets;
the practice is still in use now in small vessels, but large ones, since the patent gear to the wind-
lass has been in use, have usually hove the whale head in on deck, first separating the junk from
the case, and taking the junk first, then the case, and bail the oil out while the same lies on deck:
(much more is saved in this way than in the old process of bailing them alongside ;) the outside, or
white horse, as it is termed, is then thrown overboard, the junk is cut up into horse-pieces, as they
are called by whalemen, and put into casks on deck, or tanks below deck, if the ship is provided
with one preparatory to bailing out the same. The jaw of a. large sperm whale is about 18 feet
long, meaning the longest ones, and projects out of the head about 10 feet, and the prongs or pans
are inside about 8 feet. There are generally about torty-lbur teeth to a jaw. a row being formed on
each side. On the upper jaw there are no teeth, the teeth to the lower jaw going into sockets in
the upper when the mouth is dosed. Their food is a fish called squid, at times said to be very large ;
we often see small ones on the top of the water, and pieces of the larger ones floating about on the
surface from the size of a bucket to the size of a barrel ; while in the act of killing them they some-
times throw up pieces of the squid."
li. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NOL'TI.l 1'ACIFIC AND ARCTIC WHALE FISHEKY.
THE >-(»I;TH i-AciKH1 AND PACIFIC-AUCTIC FISHERY.
THE BEGINNING OF THE FISHERY. — The history of whaling in the Arctic Ocean north of
Bering Strait, begins in the year 1848, when Captain Boys, of the bark Superior, of Sag Harbor,
-N. Y.. cruised there and took many large whales. The Honolulu Friend gives the following
74 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
account by Captain Roys of the opening up of this profitable whaling region: "I entered the
Arctic Ocean about the middle of July, and cruised from continent to continent, going as high as
latitude 70, and saw whales wherever I went, cutting in my last whale on the 23d of August, and
returning, through Bering Strait, on the 28th of the same month. On account of powerful currents,
thick fogs, the near vicinity of land and ice, combined with the imperfection of charts and want
of information respecting this region, I found it both difficult and dangerous to get oil, although
there were plenty of whales. Hereafter, doubtless, many ships will go there, and I think there
ought to be some provision made to save the lives of those who go there should they be cast
away." *
The whales taken by Captain Roys were of the bowhead species, which is peculiar to Arctic
regions. Vessels had been taking the right whale in the Okhotsk Sea and neighboring waters for
some years prior to the inauguration of the Bering Strait fishery, but it was not until about this
time that whalemen began to take notice of the bowhead or Greenland whale that had been looked
upon as of no more importance than the finback Or sulphur-bottom whales. They were greatly
surprised when they discovered with what ease the bowhead could be killed, and the great amount
of oil and bone it yielded. According to Starbnck, the first bowheads were taken in the year 1843
on the coast of Kamchatka by ships Hercules, Captain Ricketson, and Janus, Captain Turner,
both of New Bedford. This species of whale was first taken in the Okhotsk Sea about 1847, or, as
Captain Roys thiuks, in 1848 or 1849.t
CAPTAIN BARNES ON ARCTIC WHALING IN 1877. — The following account of Arctic whaling
during the season of 1877 is kindly furnished by Capt. William M. Barnes, of bark Sea Breeze, of
New Bedford. The letter was written to Capt. H. W. Seabury, and published in the New Bedford
Evening Standard of November 21, 1877.
"We came yesterday (October 22) through the Aleutian Islands by the 172° west longitude
pass. Better charts and a greater familiarity with these islands than we formerly possessed have
deprived them of much of the dread we formerly entertained for them, and I do not think that
any vessel has lately taken the old route on the down passage to the west of the islands. In going
.north last spring we passed the chain at the same place on May 4, and three days later came up
to ice in latitude 56° 30' north. From that time till the 23d of the same month we skirted the ice
to westward, attempting in different places to penetrate it, but ever finding it too compact. On
May 24 we were in sight of land, 250 miles west-southwest from Cape Navarin, and on that day we
entered the ice in company with barks Roman and Mount Wollastou. In a week we had worked
through a belt of ice of some 40 miles in width, and had come into a strip of clear water, inshore
of the ice, and extending all the way to Cape Navarin. It was the luck of the Sea Breeze to get
into this water a few hours ahead of the other two vessels, and with a good breeze we soon were
a long way from them, but before they lost sight of us whales had made their appearance in the
loose ice around their ships, and each vessel succeeded in taking two large ones.
"On the 6th of June we were off Cape Navarin, and on the 10th off Plover Bay, not having
seen a single whale. On the following day, off Cape Chaplin, we saw and chased a whale going
quick north, and on the same day spoke Captain Redfield, of a trading schooner, who reported the
eastern part of the sea quite free from ice, and that he had seen quite a number of whales off St.
Lawrence Island. So we, going by our experience in these last few years, supposed that the
whales had already gone to the north, and made the best of our way into the Arctic. It proved,
however, that there was still a large body of whalers somewhere in the southern ice that came up
through the straits after nearly all the whales had passed through. The several trading vessels
" Whale and his Captors, p. 105. tSee Scammnn's Marine Mammalia, p. GO, ami Niinrod of the Sea, p. 388.
TDK WHAM: HSIIKRY. 75
report seeing many whales, and that quite a number woe taken 1>\ (lie nativesat different places.
At this time most of the whalers were walrusing, hut a few that were in the line of whales in the
Arctic took one or more. In two or three days they had all gone past and no more whales were
seen till the ships were off Point Harrow.
"From the middle of June till the last of July we were engaged in catching walruses. The
past season was rather a poor one for this branch of business, as it was later than usual before the
walruses were found in large numbers. We took 2,000. that yielded 1,200 barrels of oil. There
does not yet appear any diminution in the number of these animals: still if the ships continue to
catch them as they have done for the last few years it cannot be long before there will be a great
decrease. This season a schooner was fitted from San Francisco expressly for walrus catching,
and doubtless the fair success she met with will prompt the fitting away of others next year, so I
fear the poor walruses are destined to suffer.
" Early in August we arrived off Point Barrow. We found a number of whalers already there,
and some of them boiling. The ice, when we passed np, was some 10 miles offshore, at the Sea
Horse Islands, and from there to Point Barrow, 70 miles, there was a strip of clear water 20 miles
wide, but which will almost be closed up if the wind came a few hours from the west. From Cape
Smith to Point Barrow there was a body of ice aground, and on the western edge of the bank that
extends to the north from the point there was a wall of ice some 6 miles long and 60 feet or more
in height, so high that there were only a few places where it was possible from the " crow's nest"
to look over it. This wall, however, was quite narrow, and probably was formed when a pack
moving from the west took the ground on this bank, in some 7 fathoms of water, the pressure
behind piling the succeeding ice upon that which was grounded. We found the ships anchored
near the end of this wall. To the northeast there was an opening in the ice of several miles of
greater or less extent, according to the wind, while to the eastward of the point the ice lay in
huge floes many miles m extent, and but little separated. Only near the point was there much
small ice, and among this there was much that was so large as to make navigation among it unsafe
and difficult. The whales were already coming from the east, and would cross the open water
near the end of the ground ice and bury themselves in the western pack.
" On August 15 five vessels started to the eastward, and the next day passed out of sight.
One vessel after another would follow, and by the last of the month the whole fleet was to the east
of Point Barrow. To the north was an unknown amount of ice, but it was possible, with care
and with a favoring wind, to thread one's way along the land among the floes of ice. In this diffi-
cult navigation the Eoman and Milton caine to grief, and returned to the point. Some of the
vessels report haviug gone as far east as Beturn Eeef. The Sea Breeze went no farther than
Smith's Bay. The vessels that first went east found whales off Point Tangent, 40 miles from
Point Barrow, but farther east very few whales were seen— fortunately, as it proved— as it is
acknowledged that if whales had been found and the fleet been detained a few days to the east-
ward Xew Bedford would again have had to deplore the loss of her northern fleet.
"Early in September the ships were all back to Point Barrow. The weather was now quite
cold, and the ice encroaching fast on our open space. On the Cth of September, in company with
bark Mercury, we steered to the southwest and run SO miles between the ice and land, and then
to the west of Herald Island. We found much open ice over the usual whaling-ground. Septem-
ber 13 we were in the longitude of Herald Island, but SO miles to the south of it, and the ice
trending to the southwest, so we turned again to the east. Here we spoke bark Cleone,* Captain
iNye, who was also working east and reported the Eainbow working up towards Herald Island.
' Cleone wrecked the same year in R.-iint t,a\vtvrm> Bay, Captain Nye afterwards lost in Mt. Wollaston.
76 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
In a few days we were back among- the eastern ships, and on the 17th of the mouth learned that
the Three Brothers had been abandoned in the ice around Point Barrow, and that the ships that
brought down her crew barely escaped the double danger of being inclosed by the ice and of being
frozen in. We had now northeast wind, quite cold, and snowy. A few nights after the W. A.
Farnsworth was lost, her crew barely having time to escape as they stood.
"At this time there was more young ice than I have ever before seen in the Arctic. On the
20th of September, in latitude 70° 20', the whole ocean appeared to be frozen over, the young ice
being nearly an inch thick, so that the .ship needed a fresh breeze to force her way through it; and
a few days later we found ice nearly 2 inches thick still farther south.
" About the 20th of September several vessels left, some it is reported leaving the sea to look
for right whales. Others went westward.
"The northeast wind freshened to a gale, and on the 25th of September we had drifted to south
of Cape Lisburne, and in company with the Mount Wollaston anchored under the lee of Point
Hope. Next day took our anchors and steered south to leave, the sea, but before we had reached
East Cape met a south wind and swung off again for Herald Island. October 1, sighted Herald
Island, also vessels whaling, and soon after whales. The south wind, with a current running north,
had carried the ice so Jar that ships were now whaling close to the island in clear water. Learned
soon atter that there had been many whales here; that the Rainbow had worked up through 80
miles of ice and found them here about the middle of September, and that all the vessels here had
been doing well. There were in sight here nine sails; if any more, not immediately around the
island, and it was thought that all the others had left the sea. The last whales were taken here
October 10, by barks Cleone and Helen Mar. We took three only, making 330 barrels. For many
years I have not seen so many or such large whales as about here for the first week iu October.
" Left Herald Island October 10. On the 12th anchored in Saint Lawrence Bay. Found here
the Rainbow, 17 whales; Norman, 1-4 whales ; and Mount Wollaston, S whales. Soon after arrived
there the Pacific 11 whales, the Northern Light 9 whales, the Progress S whales, the Helen Mar 13
whales, and the Cleone 11 whales.
" We sailed from Saint Lawrence Bay October 18, leaving five vessels there. Two days later
we killed and lost a right whale, near Saint Matthew's Island, by the sinking of the whale. And
now the season seems closed, and nothing remains but to make the best of our way to port. * * *
" Long before you will receive this, in all probability you have learned all that is to be known
concerning the vessels abandoned last season. Only two vessels survived the winter. There
were, I believe, iive men, Hawaiian natives, who made their way over the ice to the Acors Barns,
the vessel that lay nearest the land, away to the east of Point Barrow. It chanced that in the
gale that soon came on, after the fleet was abandoned, that this vessel was driven through a break
in the gnmnd-ice that wal'c.d the northern shore, and these men succeeded in reaching the land
and Point Barrow soon afler the departure of the vessels that were saved. Three of these men
were badly frozen and si on died. The two others were kindly cared for by the natives on the point,
and when I saw them on board Hawaiian brig William H. Allen were fat and hearty. The bark
Clara Bell was abandoned a few miles south from Cape Smith. She was found lying at her anchor,
wholly clear from ice, and with no further damage than was dime by the natives, who took what-
ever was of any use to them, and cut and hacked till they had made a bad looking vessel of her.
The first few vessels helped themselves to whatever was left of value, and the schooner Newton
Booth, of San Francisco, took the remaining oil. The Clara Bell lay (here at her anchor till about
the 20th of September, when she broke adrift and came up with the current and went out of sight-
in the ice to the northeast. She was last seen off Harrison's Bay.
THE WHALK FISHERY. 77
"I cannot learn that any tiling certain is known concerning the other abandoned ships. There
was a report' that sonic trading vessel understood from the natives, at Point Hope, that during the
winter a ship made her appearance off the point, among the ice; that they (the natives) hoarded
her: that they found no one on her; lint on the ice near her the bodies of two men who had
perished while trying to reach the land. It seems probable to me that in the strong northeast
gales of the fall the abandoned ships were driven to the southwest, and were drifting around with
the ice through the winter, and if not sooner broken to pieces, were carried a way in the spring among
the ice moving north. The Acors P.arus was burned by the natives.
"The men that spent the winter among the natives report most kind treatment. They say,
however, that occasionally they had to flee from one house to another, when the inmates of the
first were ha\ ing a drunken frolic, as at such times they could not be sure of their lives. A few
years ago these people did not know the use of intoxicating liquors. "What a comment on our
boasted civilization ami on the genuineness of our Christianity that this little colony of people, in
this most remote corner of the earth, must suffer and be imbrnted because of us ! It is a grievous
shame, and one that I hope will soon come to an end." [The Sea freeze arrived at San Francisco
November 11, having had a long and rough passage down — a succession of southerly gales —
with 1,450 baircls oil. 5,000 pounds whalebone, and 0,000 pounds ivory.]
CAPTAIN PEASE ox ARCTIC •WHALING-.— Captain Pease, of the ship Champion, of Edgartowu,
in a letter published in the New lied ford Shipping List, of November 29, 1870, thus describes
some of the incidents of Arctic whaling :
•' We made and entered the ice on the 17th day of May. about 40 miles south of Cape Xavarin,
weather thick and snowing; on the 20th the weather cleared up, showing about a dozen ships in
the ice. The weather having every appearance of a gale. I worked out of the ice. and soon found
myself surrounded by fifty ships. Saw but one whale in the ice. On the 23d, weather pleasant,
two or three ships worked a short distance in the ice ; the next day the fleet commenced following
and in a few hours fifty ships were on a race to Cape Thaddeus ; it was oak against ice, and like
ail heavy moving bodies which come in collision. • the weakest structure always gives way ;' so
with the ships, they all came out more or less damaged in copper and sheathing — the Champion
four days ahead to Cape, Thaddeus, in clear water.
"Unfortunately, for the first time since whaling, there were no whales. On the 13th of June
we lowered for a whale going quick into the ice. Cape Agcheu bearing southwest 00 miles, and
before getting the boats clear the ice packed around us. From that time until the 2litli, so close
and heavy was the ice packed around us, that we found it impossible to move the ship. With our
sails furled, we drifted with the ice about 12 miles per day toward Cape Agchen, the ship lying
as quiet as in a dock, but on the 22d, when close under the cape, a gale set in from the southward,
producing a heavy swell and causing the ship to strike heavily against the ice. We saved our
rudder by hooking our blubber-hooks to it and heaving them well taut with hawsers to our
quarters. Had the current not taken an easterly shore course, the ship must have gone on shore.
The wind blowing on shore, which was distant less than half a mile, 5 to (i fathoms of water under
us, ship rolling and pounding heavily against the ice, weather so thick we could not see 5<i yards.
made it rather an anxious time. For thirty-six hours I was expecting some sharp pointed rock
would crash through her sides. On the 24th, finding only 4.\ fathoms water, little current, with
the larger pieces of ice around, we let go an anchor and held her to a large floe of ice. Here we
broke our sampson post off in the deck. On the morning of the 25th the weather cleared up.
showing our position to be at the head of a small bay about 15 miles east of Cape Agchen. Here
for two days we lay becalmed and ice-bound. On the second day the ice loosened, when we took
78 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
our anchor and by eighteen hoars' hard work succeeded in kedging about 4 miles seaward ; a
breeze then springing up from off shore, we spread sail arid passed into clear water. We spent a
short time in the straits, but saw nothing of the bowhead kind. Passed into the Arctic July — ,
and found most of the fleet catching walrus ; about a dozen ships (this one among the number)
went cruising along the northern ice for bowheads. After prospecting from Icy Cape to near
Herald Island, and seeing not a whale, I returned to the walrus fleet. The first ship I saw was
the Yineyard, with one hundred and seventy-five walrus; since then I have not seen or heard
from her. This walrusing is quite a new business, and ships which had engaged in it the previous
seaspn and came up prepared were very successful. While at it, we drove business as hard as the
best of them, but soon became convinced that tlie ship's company (taken collectively) were much
inferior to many others ; they could not endure the cold and exposure expected of them. I have
seen boats' crews that were properly rigged, kill and strip a boat load of walrus in the same length
of time another (not rigged) would be in killing one and hauling him on the ice. We took some
four hundred, making about 230 barrels. About August 5 all the ships went in pursuit of bow-
heads (most of them to Point Barrow). When off the Sea Horse Islands we saw a few whales
working to the westward, just enough to detain us ; we took two making 200 barrels ; the weather
cold, and a gale all the time. In September I worked up about 70 miles from Point Barrow; saw
quite a show of small whales in the sea ; took four which made about 100 barrels. As that was a
fair sample, and not. having the right boys to whale in that ice, where the thermometer stood only
8- above zero, I went back to the westward. Ships that had from forty to fifty men (clad in skins)
and officers accustomed to that particular kind of whaling, did well. In going back the fourth
mate struck a whale which made about 70 barrels. From the 28th of September to the 4th of
October we saw a good chance to get oil, had the weather been good, and a well, hardy crew.
We could not cut and whale at the same time. We took four whales which would have made 500
barrels had we had good weather to boil them. On the 4th of October we put away for the straits,
in company with the Seneca, John Howland, and John Wells— a gale from the northeast, and
snowing. On the evening of the 7th it blew almost a hurricane ; hove the ship to south of Point
Hope, with main -topsail furled; lost starboard bow boat, with davits — ship covered with ice and
oil. On the 10th entered the straits in a heavy gale ; when about 8 m iles south of the Diomedes,
had to heave to under bare poles, blowing furiously, and the heaviest sea I ever saw ; ship making-
bad weather of it; we had about 125 barrels of oil on deck, and all our fresh water; our blubber
between decks in horse pieces, and going from the forecastle to the mainmast every time she
pitched, and impossible to stop it; ship covered with ice and oil ; could only muster four men in
a watch ; decks flooded with water all the time ; no fire to cook with or to warm by, made it the
most anxious and miserable time I ever experienced in all my sea service. During the night
shipped a heavy sea, which took off bow and waist boats, davits, slide-boards, and everything
attacked, staving about 20 barrels of oil. At daylight on the second day we found ourselves in 17
fathoms of water, and about 6 miles from the center cape of Saiut Lawrence Island. Fortunately
the gale moderated a little, so that we got two close-reefed topsails and reefed courses on her,
and by sundown were clear of the west end of the island. Had it not moderated as soon as it did,
we should, by 10 a. m., have been shaking hands with our departed friends."
Another difficulty of North Pacific navigation is mentioned in a letter from Capt. William H.
Kelley, of the bark James Allen, of New Bedford, to the Hawaiian Gazette, in 1874.* He says :
" One of the perplexities of the navigator cruising in the Arctic Ocean is the singular effect northerly
and southerly winds seem to have upon the mariner's compass. Captains have noticed this singu-
* See New Bedford " Shipping List," January 5, 1876.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 79
larity for years, and no solution of the matter, as far as I have learned, has yet been arrived at.
Navigators have noticed that with a north or northeast wind they can tack in eight points, while
with the wind south or southwest in from fourteen to sixteen points. All navigators know that for
a square-rigged vessel to lie within four points of the wind is an utter impossibility, the average
with square-rigged vessels being six points. This peculiar action of the compass renders the navi-
gation of the Arctic ditlieult and at times dangerous, especially in thick, foggy weather. Naviga-
tors in these regions have proved to their satisfaction that on the American coast, north and east
of Point Barrow, to steer a laud course by the compass and allow the variations given by the
chart, -14° 15' east, with the wind at north or northeast, icoidd run the ship axhore, steering either
cunt or icest. * * Experience, therefore, has obliged navigators to ignore the variations
marked upon the charts, and lay the ship's course by the compass alone to make a land-course safe in
thick weather. * * With an east or west wind' the effect on the compass is not so great as
with other winds. I have said this much to show the working of the compass in the Arctic Ocean
during different winds, not that I admit that the wind has any effect whatever upon the compass.
I give the facts as they came under my observation, and corroborative testimony will be borne by
any shipmaster who has cruised in the Arctic Ocean."
THE DANGERS OF THE FISHERY. — Whaling in the Arctic Ocean is attended with uncertain ty
iu every particular, both in regard to the condition and movement of the ice, and the movement of
the whales. The early departure of the animals to inaccessible regions among the ice, and the
anxious weeks spent in awaiting their return, make this ground one of the most exciting regions
that whalemen can find, and the surroundings are of more than usual interest. Much has been
written in the accounts of Arctic expeditions descriptive of the icy regions, and much is said of the
dangers attending navigation in those seas. Nothing can exceed the daring and pluck of the
whalemen in their endeavors to search out and capture their prey. Forgetful of surrounding
dangers, they pursue the spouting animal far up among the ice-floes, and many a vessel has been
crushed to pieces by the ice as she was tracking out a whale. Anxious to secure full fares, they
remain amid the freezing waters until early winter stares them in the face, when they plow their
way homeward. Several disasters have overtaken the fleet in their zeal to catch the whale, as in
1871, when thirty-two noble craft were left at anchor in sight of certain destruction, the crews,
after arduous labor, saving themselves in boats.
The story of the disaster of 1871, as also that of 1876, is told as follows by Starbuck :
"In the fall of 1871 came news of a terrible disaster to the Arctic fleet, rivaling in its extent
the depredations of the rebel cruiser. Off Point Belcher thirty-four vessels lay crushed and
mangled in the ice; in Honolulu were over twelve hundred seamen who by this catastrophe were
shipwrecked.
"Early in May the fleet arrived south of Cape Thaddeus, where they found the ice closely
packed, and the wind blowing strong from the northeast.* This state of affairs continued during
the most of the month. June came in with light and variable winds and foggy weather; but the
ice opening somewhat, the ships pushed through in sight of (-'ape Navarin, where they took five
or six whales, and for a -short time heard many more spouting among the ice. About the middle
of June the ice opened still more, and the fleet passed on through Anadir Sea, taking a few whales
as they went. By the 30th of June the vessels had passed through Bering Strait, preceded
by the whales. Waiting the further 1-reakiug up of the ice, they commenced catching walruses,
but with comparatively poor success. During the latter part of July, the ice disappearing from,
the east shore south of Cape Lisburne, the fleet pushed on to the eastward, following the ice, the
•Harprr's \V<-rk]y, Di crniln-r 2, Io71.
80 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
principal portion of which was in latitude 69° 10'. A clear strip of water appearing on the east
shore, leading along the land to the northeast, they worked along through it to within a few miles
of Icy Cape. Here some of tin- vessels anchored, unable to proceed farther on account of the ice
lying on Blossom Shoals.
"About the Cth of August the ice cm the shoals started, and several ships got under way.
In a few days most of the fleet was north of the shoals, and, aided by favorable weather, they
worked to the northeast as far as Wainwright Inlet, eight vessels reaching there on the 7th,
Here the ships either anchored or made fast to the ice, which was very heavy and densely packed,
and whaling was carried on briskly for several days, and every encouragement was given for a
favorable catch. On the lith of August a sadden change of wind set the ice inshore, catching a
huge number of boats which were cruising for whales in the open ice, and forcing the ships to get
under way 1o avoid being crushed. The vessels worked inshore under the lee of the ground ice,
and succeeded, despite the difficulties of the situation, in saving their boats by hauling them for
long distances over the ice, some of them, however, being badly stoven. On the 13th the ice
grounded, leaving a narrow strip of water along the laud up to Point Belcher. In this open
water lay the fleet anchored or fast to the ice, waiting for the expected northeast wind that was
to relieve them of their icy barrier, whaling constantly being carried on by the boats, though
necessarily under many adversities.
"On the 15th of August the wind came around to the westward, driving the ice still closer
to the shore and compelling the vessels to work close in to the land. The drift of the ice inland
was so rapid that some of the vessels were compelled to slip their cables, there being no time to
weigh anchor. By this event the fleet was driven into a narrow strip of water not over a half
a mile in width at its widest part. Here, scattered along the coast for 20 miles, they lay, the water
from 14 to 24 feet deep, and ice as far as the lookouts at the mastheads could see. Whaling was
still carried on with the boats off Sea-Horse Island and Point Franklin, although the men were
obliged to cut up the whales on the ice and tow the blubber to the ships.
" On the -5th a strong northeast gale set in and drove the ice to a distance of from 4 to 8
miles offshore, and renewed attention was given to the pursuit of the whale. Up to this time no
immediate danger had been anticipated by the captains beyond that incidental to their usual
sojourn in these seas. The Eskimo, nevertheless, with the utmost friendliness, advised theni to
get away with all possible speed, as the sea would not again open; but this was contrary to the
Arctic experience of the whalemen, and they resolved to hold their position.
"On the 29th began the series of conflicting circumstances resulting in the destruction of the
fleet. A southwest wind sprang up, light in the morning, but freshening so toward evening that
the ice returned inshore with such rapidity as to catch some of the ships in the pack. The rest of
the fleet retreated ahead of the ice, and anchored in from. 3 to 4 fathoms of water, the ice still
coming in and small ice packing around them. The heavy floe-ice grounded in shoal water and
between it and the shore lay the ships, with scarcely room to swing at their anchors.
"On the 2d of September the brig Comet was caught by the heavy ice and completely crushed,
her crew barely making their escape vo the other vessels. She was pinched until her timbers all
snapped and the stern was forced out. and hung suspended for three or four days, being in the
mean time thoroughly wrecked by the other vessels ; then the ice relaxed its iron grip and she
sunk. Still our hardy whalemen hoped that the looked-for northeasterly gale would come, and
t'clt greater uneasiness on account of the loss of time .than because of their present peril. Their
experience could not point io the time when the favoring gale had Tailed to assure their egress.
Nothing but ice was visible oil' shore, however, the only clear water being where they lay, and
THE VYIIAU FISIIHHY. Si
that narrowed to a strip from L'OO yards to liiilf'ii mile in width, and extending from Point lielcher
in L' or .'! miles south of AVainwright Inlet. The southeast and southwest winds still continued,
light from the former and fresh from the hitter direction, and every day the ice packed more and
more closely around the doomed vessels.'
"On the 7th of September the bark Koman. while cutting in a whale, was caught between
two immense Hoes of ice oil' Sea Horse Islands, whence she had helplessly drifted, and crushed to
atoms, the olliccrs and crew escaping over the ice, saving scarcely anything but their lives.
"The next day beheld the bark Awashonks meet a similar fate, and a third fugitive crew
was distributed among the remaining ships. The peril was now apparent to all : the season was
rapidly approaching the end; the ice showed no signs of starting, but on the contrary the little
clear water that remained was rapidly filling with ice and closing around them. Frequent and
serious were the consultations held by the captains of the beleaguered vessels. One thing at
least was evident without discussion; if the vessels could not be extricated, the crews must be
got away before winter set in, or the scanty stock of provisions they had could only postpone an
inevitable starvation. As a precautionary measure, pending a decision on the best course to
adopt, men were set to work to build up the boats, that is, to raise the gunwales so as to enable
them the better to surmount the waves. Shoes* were also put on them, to prevent, as far as pos-
sible, injury from the ice. The brig Kohola was lightened in order to get her over the bar at
"\Yain\viight Inlet, upon which there were only 5 or 6 feet of water. Her oil and stores were
transferred to the deck of the Charlotte, of San Francisco, but when discharged it was found that
she still drew 1) feet of water, and the attempt to get her over the shoal water was abandoned.!
An expedition of three boats, under the command of Capt. D. E. Frazer, was now sent down the
coast to ascertain how far the ice extended; what chances there were of getting throngh the
barrier; what vessels,' if any, were outside, and what relief conld be relied upon. Captain
Frazer returned on the 12th, and leported that it was utterly impracticable to get any of the
main body of the fleet out ; that the Arctic and another vessel were in clear water below the
field, which extended to the south of Blossom Shoals, 80 miles from the imprisoned crafts : and
that five more vessels, then fast in the lower edge of the ice, were likely to get out soon. He also
reported, what every man then probably took for granted, that these free vessels would lay by to
aid their distressed comrades. It is a part of the whaleman's creed to stand by his mates. On
healing this reported, it was decided to abandon the fleet, and make the best of their way, while
they could, to the rescuing vessels. It was merely a question whether they should leave their
>hips and save then1 lives, or stand by their ships and perish with them.
••The morning of the 14th of September came, and a sad day it was to the crews of .the ice-
bound crafts. At noon the signals, flags at the mast heads, union down, were set, which told
them the time had come when they must sever themselves from their vessels. f As a stricken family
•
"A sheathing — in this case copper — bring used.
tThe same experiment, with the same rr.xult, was tried liy Captain Kedlield, of the brig Victoiia.
t The following protect was written on the lath of September, and signed by all tlie captains on the follow ing day
.iliaiidoiiing their vessels :
••1'oixT lir.LCHKi:, .in-ll<- /let/in, S< /ilnn/m ]'!, 1871.
•• Kim« all men by these presents, I hat we, the iindi-t signed, masters of whale ships now lying at Point I'.eh her,
afiei imldiii". a i ..... -i ing coiieeniing o,;i dreadful -it aai ,on, have all eome to tin? conclusion that our ships cannot be
• lit Uiia year, and there beiog no harboi thai ' els into, and mil lia\ing provisions enough to
teed our crews to exceed three nmnth^. and being in a iiauvn country, where there is neither food nor fuel to be
obtained, we feel mirsel\e> under the painful necessity of abandoning our vessels, and trying to work our way south
with our boats, and. if po~-.il >le. 4,1 on ln.aid of .--hips thai an- -onih of the ice. We think it w mild not be prudent to
leave a single soul to look after onr vessels, as the first ale will crowd, ile ice ashon and eithei cue-:
SEC. v, VOL. 11 - 6
82 HISTORY AOT) METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
feels when the devouring flames destroy the home which was their shelter, and with it the little
souvenirs and priceless memorials which had been so carefully collected and so earnestly treasured,
so feels the mariner when compelled to tear himself from the ship, which seems to him at once parent,
friend, and shelter. In these vessels lay the result of all the toil and danger encountered by them
since leaving home. Their chests contained those little tokens received from or reserved for friends
thousands of miles away, and nothing could be taken with them save certain prescribed and
indispensable articles. With heavy hearts they entered their boats and pulled away, a mournful,
almost funereal, flotilla, toward where the vessels lay that were to prove their salvation. Tender
women and children were there, who, by their presence, sought to relieve the tedium of a long
voyage to their husbands and fathers, and the cold north wind blew pitilessly over the frozen sea,
chilling to the marrow the unfortunate fugitives. *
" The first night out the wanderers encamped on the beach behind the sand-hills. A scanty
supply of fire- wood they had with them and such drift-wood as they could collect sufficed to make
a fire to protect them somewhat from the chilling frost. The sailors dragged boats over the hills,
and by turning them bottom upward and covering them with sails, made quite comfortable habi-
tations for the women and children. The rest made themselves comfortable as best they could.
" On the second day out," says Captain Preble, " the boats reached Blossom Shoals, and there
spied the refuge-vessels lying 5 miles out from shore, and behind a tongue of ice that stretched
like a great peninsula 10 miles farther down the coast, and around the point of which the weary
crews were obliged to pull before thej could get aboard. The weather here was very bad, the
wind blowing fresh from the southwest, causing a sea that threatened the little craft with annihi-
lation. Still the hazardous journey had to be performed, and there was no time to be lost in setting
about it. * * * All submitted to this new danger with becoming cheerfulness, and the little
boats started on their almost hopeless voyage, even the women and children smothering their
apprehensions as best they could. On the voyage along the inside of the icy point of the peninsula
everything went moderately well ; but on rounding it they encountered the full force of a tremen-
dous southwest gale and a sea that would have made the stoutest ship tremble. In this fearful
sea the whale-boats were tossed about like pieces of cork. They shipped quantities of water from
every wave which struck them, requiring the utmost diligence of all hands at bailing to keep
them afloat. Everybody's clothing was thoroughly saturated with the freezing brine, while all
the bread and flour in the boats was completely spoiled. The strength of the gale was such that
the ship Arctic, after getting her portion of the refugees on board, parted her chain-cable and lost
her port anchor, but brought up again with her starboard anchor, which held until the little fleet
was ready to sail.
"By four o'clock in the afte/noon of the second day all were distributed among the seven
vessels that formed the remnant of the fleet that sailed for the Arctic Ocean the previous spring.
Not a person was lost to add to the grief already felt or to increase the gloom of their situation.
ships or drive them high upon the beach. Three of the fleet have already been crushed, and two are now lyiug hove
out, which have heen crushed by the ice, and are leaking badly. We have now five wrecked crews distributed among
us. We have barely room to swing at anchor! paekot'i h. and we are lying iu three fathoms
of water. Should we be cast on the beach il would be at least eleven mouths before we could look for assistance, and
in all probability nine out often would die of .starvation or scurvy brfore the opening of spring.
"Therefore, we have arrived at these conclusions: After the ivtnrn of our expedition under command of Capt.
D. R. Frazer, of the Florida, he having with whale-boats worked to the southward as far as Blossom Shoals, and
found that the ice pressed anhoiv the entire di iur position to the shoals, leaving iu several places only
sufficient water for our boa is t.. IM,,H thiongh, and this liable at any moment to be frozen over during the twenty-four
hours, which would • vm by 111. • r had to work through a considerable
qtia.in M ', I'inm i.c<- during 1] IUKIH, lian
(Signed h\, the masters.)
THE WHALE FISHERY. 83
To the Europa were assigned 280; to the Arctic, 250; to the Progress, 221 ; to the Lagoda, 195;
to the Daniel Webster, 113; to the Midas, 100; and to the Chance, 60; in all 1,219 souls in addi-
tion to their regular crews. On tho 24th of October the larger portion of these vessels reached
Honolulu, and the remaining ones of the seven speedily followed.
" On the receipt of the news of this disaster, more particularly in New Bedford, great excite-
ment was occasioned. The value of the wrecked vessels sailing from that port alone exceeded,
with their cargoes, $ 1,000,000. But the owners of whaling-vessels were not the men to yield
supinely to a single misfortune, however overpowering it might seem, and the ensuing year twenty-
seven ships were busy in the Arctic, and in 1873 twenty-nine visited that precarious sea.
"The names of the beleaguered lleet were: from New Bedford, barks Awashonks, value
.*.->S,000; Concordia, $75,000; Contest, $40,000; Elizabeth, $60,000; Emily Morgan, $60,000;
Eugenia, $56,000; Fanny, $58,000; Gay Head, $40,000; George, $40,000; Henry Taber, $52,000;
John Wells, $40,000; Massachusetts, $46,000; Minerva, $50,000; Navy, $48,000; Oliver Crocker,
*4S,000; Seneca, $70,000; William Botch, $43,000; ships George Howland, $43,000; Reindeer,
$40,000 ; Roman, $60,000; Thomas Dickason, $50,000. From New London, bark J. D. Thompson,
value $45,000 ; and ship Monticello, $45,000. From San Francisco, barks Carlotta, value $52,000 ;
Florida, $51,000; and Victoria, $30,000. From Edgartown, ships Champion, value $40,000; and
Mary, $"i7,000. And from Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, barks Paira Kohola, $20,000; Comet,
$20,000 ; and Victoria 2d and ship Julian, $40.000. The Honolulu vessels had generally Ameri-
can owners, having been placed under the Hawaiian flag to protect them from rebel cruisers.
" Capt. William H. Kelley, who commanded the Gay Head, visited the locality the following
year, and wrote home the condition of such of the vessels as still remained. The Minerva lay at
the entrance to Waiuwright Inlet, as good in hull as when abandoned. The T. Dickason lay on
her beam-ends on the bank, bilged and full of water. The Seneca was dragged by the ice up
the coast some distance; her bowsprit was gone, bulwarks stove, and rudder carried away, and
she was frozen in solid. The Reindeer sank, and the Florida was ashore on Sea Horse Islands,
burned to the water's edge. The rest of the fleet were either carried away by the ice, crushed to
pieces, or burned by the natives. The Gay Head and Concordia were burned where they lay.
1 The bark Massachusetts went arouud Point Barrow. There was one white man on board her
who staid up here last winter. He made his escape over the ice this summer, and was five days
getting back to the ships. He was about used up when they found him this summer. The
natives set out to kill him, but the women saved him, and afterward the old chief took care of
him. He saved a large quantity of bone, but the natives took it away from him, except a small
quantity. He said $150,000 would not tempt him to try another winter in the Arctic. He said
that four days after we left the ships last year the water froze over and the natives walked off to
the ships ; and fourteen days after there came on a heavy northeast gale and drove all but the
ground-ice away (that never moved). Shortly after there blew another northeast gale, and he
said that of all the butting and smashing lie ever saw, the worst .was among those ships driving
into each other during those gales. Some were ground to atoms, and what the ice spared the
natives soon destroyed, after pillaging them of everything they pleased.'"
In the season of 1S76 the fleet met with another disaster of less pecuniary extent but more
appalling in its effect on human life. The fleet consisted of eighteen American ships and barks
and two foreign vessels. Of these, twelve were lost or abandoned in the Arctic. "Much of the
melancholy story seems a duplicate description of that of 1871. Again the fleet had entered that
fatal ocean early in August, and again commenced the season's whaling with prospects of fair
84
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
success; again the ice commenced dosing ;i round them ; again they cherished delusive hopes that
a strong gale would drive it oil' shore and afford them a means of escape, and again these hopes
were doomed to a bitter disappointment. Again the masters decided it was necessary to abandon
their vessels, and again the abandonment was accomplished. Here the parallel ceases. Several
men perished from exposure in journeying from one beleaguered vessel to another apparently more
safe, and many died on the toilsome, perilous march and voyage to the rescuing ships. Many
more preferred to stay by the ships and risk their chances of surviving during the terrible Arctic
winter to assuming the nearer and, to them, apparently no less dangerous alternative of an imme-
diate escape."* Three hundred men escaped, and fifty-three remained among the natives. There
was no feasible way to communicate with them until the summer of 1877. Provisions and fuel were
reported amply sufficient for them, and with the first clear water of 1877 ready hands and willing
hearts hastened to their assistance. The experiences of these men during the winter and until
their rescue in the summer of 1877 are told by Captain Barnes on page 77, above ; only two of
the abandoned vessels survived the winter: one of these was burned by the natives and the other
was lost in September, 1877. The names of the lost and abandoned vessels with their approx-
imate values, not including cargoes, were as follows : (Of these the Arctic was lost ; the others aban-
doned.) From New Bedford, the Acors Barns, $36,000; Camilla, $36,000; Cornelius Howland,
$40,000; James Allen, $36,000; Java 2d, $25,001) ; Josephine, $40,000 ; Mareugo, $40,000 ; Mount
Wollaston, $32,000; Onward, $40,000; and St. George, $36,000. From San Francisco, the Clara
Bell, $24,000. And from Honolulu, the Arctic, $32,0(10, and Desmond, $24,000. A total loss of
$442,000. The estimated value of the cargoes was about $375.000 more.
In 1877 three of the Arctic fleet were lost, in 187<S one, and in 1879 three. The description of
the class of vessels employed in this fishery is given under the head of vessels and apparatus,
and the cruising-grounds are discussed under the head of whaling-grounds.
STATISTICS OF PACIFIC-ARCTIC WHALING 1835 TO 1880. — The following statement gives a
summary of each season's fishing of the North Pacific fleet from 1835 to 1880. The locality
includes the waters between the Asiatic and American coasts north oi' 50° north latitude.
Statement showing the number »f American vesxvli in tin- \<irt/i Pacific flett each year and their catch of oil and btme.
[Compiled from Whalemen's Shipping List.]
Tear.
No. of
vessels.
Average
barrels
whale oil.
Total
barn-Is
whale oil.
Tot;il pounds
whalebone.1
Remarks.
1835
1
1R36
1
1837
1
1838
1
1839
2
1 400
2,800
1840
3
587
1 760
184]
20
1 41'*
28 200
1842
•"i
1 627
47 °00
1843
108
1 349
i H; snii
1844 ....
170
1 . T._'s
•J.v.l, ;,70
1845
263
953
250, 600
1846
292
869
* History Whale Fishery, iu U. S. Fish Commission lvV|><>rt,
t Arctic whalolione not recorded separate prior to 1866.
TI1K \\IIALK KISI1KRY.
85
Xtatcmfnt slnmiiui tin' numlii r t>f .tmerii-aii IT.S.V/N in I lie Xortli I'm-ifu: ]!>•< I 1 K. li 11, .;; • uml ll<i-ir catch, <fc. — Continued.
Y<ai.
Xo. of
barrels
whale oil.
Cotal
barrels
whale oil.
Tola] pounds
lioiie.*
Bnuiuksi
177
1 059
187 443
1 164
185 256
155
1 334
144
1 692
''43 618
-
138
826
86, 360
278
I 343
373 450
1853
238
912
217 056
1854
232
794
184,063
''17
873
1.X9 579
1856
178
822
146,41(1
143
796 l
113 900
•
196
r.'MI
1"! 650
1859
178
535
94, 160
1860
121
518
62, 678
Two of the fleet lost the George and Mary and Paulina.
1861
76
724
55,024
1862. ...
1863
32
42
610
857
19, 525
36, 010
1864
68
522
35, 490
1865
59
617
36,415
186C
95
598
56, 925
1867
90
640
57, 620
1808 ...
1869
61
43
708
890
43, 2.10
38, 275
027, 500
525, 000
Also seven foreign vessels that took 4,370 barrels oil, 66,000 pounds bone.
Also six foreign vessels that took 6,475 barrels oil, 85,000 pounds bone.
1870
1871
46
35
1,069
49,205
659, 550
15, 000
Also nine foreign vessels that took 8,080 barrels oil, 97,000 pounds bone.
All but eeven of the fleet were lost, including four foreign vessels.
1872
27
730
19, 730
2.-S, '.'(ill
Also four foreign vessels took 1,900 barrels oil, 29,400 pounds bone.
1873
30
676
20, 295
239, 300
Also four foreign vessels; two of t.bem took 980 barrels oil, 5,300 pounds bone.
1X74 .
23
883
20, 380
222, 100
Also f'mir foreign vessels that took 2,530 barrels oil, 25,000 pounds bone.
1875
16
1,355
21, 680
230, 460
Also four foreign vessels that took 3,450 barrels oil, 36,800 pounds bone.
1876
18
5,250
35, 200
All but eight of the fleet lost, also two foreign vessels.
1877
19
1 096
17,530
153, 800
Tlnvr i.f the fleet we.ro lost. One foreign vessel took 300 barrels oil, 3, 000 pounds boue.
1878
17
770
13, 080
114,200
One of the fleet lost.
1879
21
18, 800
200, 500
Three of the fleet lost.
1880t
19
1,406
•2l\. 7ll!l
409, 000
Total
4,300
3, 994, 397
* A i clio whalebone not ree.orJed separate prior to 1808.
t Since the above was compiled Ibo reports for subsequent years have been received, as follows : 1881, 23 vessels, 24, 740 barrels of whale
oil, 387,000 pounds whalebone ; 1S<J. :!_' vessels, 22,975 barrels whale oil, 360,500 pounds whalebone; 1883, 38 vessels, 10,155 barrels whale oil,
159,400 pounds whalebone; 1884, 39 vessels, 20,450 barrels whale nil, 318,700 pounds whalebone. The fleet in 1880 included two steamers, in
1884 the number of steamers had iunras. .1 to nine. Another marked change in this fishery is the larger proportion of vessels hailing from
San Francisco, as is shown on subsequent pages in the details of each year's voyage.
The cruising grounds of the fleet, prior to 1848, were south of Bering Strait, chiefly on the Northwest Ground. In 1348 a vessel passed
through the Strait and was very successful. From that date the Arctic fleet increased rapidly in numbers. Since the year 1868 the principal
i r-ort "f the North Pacific fleet (so cnllr.l) has been the Arctic Ocean north of Bering Strait, as shown on following pages.
86
HISTORY AND METHODS OF TIIIO K1SIIER1 KS.
The details of each voyage to the Xorth Pacific aiid Arctic Oceans since 1868 are given in the
following lists, compiled from the Whalemen's Shipping List:
List of rfxurl" comprising the North Pacific whaling fleet of IKitf, with the season's catch of each vessel.
Kame of vessel.
Fishing ground.
Season's catch.
Name of vessel.
Fishing ground.
Season's catch.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
Whale
oiL
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
800
400
425
400
800
260
1,000
280
1,050
600
1,100
925
800-
"00
Pmmdi.
17, 000
4,500
4,000
5,000
13, 000
3,000
18, 000
15, 000
10, 000
16, 000
15, 000
8,000
NEW BEDFORD— continned.
Okhotsk
Barrels.
1,100
30
300
430
370
1,170
1,050
100
Pounds.
15, 000
300
4,000
4,000
3,500
21, 000
8,000
2,000
Adeline
Okhotsk
Kadiak
Alto
St. George
Arctic
Kadiak
do
Awashonks
Arctic
Okhotsk
do
Three Brothers
Trident
Arctic
Kadiak
Cicero
Corinthian —
Kadiak
Arctic
f>2 ships and harks
35, 505
505, 000
Concordia
....do
do
FAIRHAVEN.
General Scott
Arctic
1,100
15, 000
Daniel Webster
....do
do
EDGARTOWN.
Champion
Arctic
500
325
1,300
8,500
3,000
22, 500
500
600
150
600
1,000
1,050
350
630
260
630
550
1,300
400
800
1, 175
5,1100
4,000
1,000
8,000
18, 000
19, 000
3,000
5,000
1, 500
18, 000
6,000
8,500
17,000
18, 000
7,000
15, 000
9,000
• i sk
Vineyard
Aivti,-
George Howland
Arctic
3 ships
2,125
34, 000
do
MEW LONDON.
450
900
450
4,500
16,000
6,000
do
Okhotsk
do
Hibernhi.
Kadiak
do
Nile
Okhotsk
James Allen
Java
Arctic
Kadiak
3 ships and b:irkM . . .
1,800
26, 500
SAN FRANCISCO.
1,700
1,000
31, 000
16, 000
do
do
do
1 ship and 1 hark
do
2,700
47, 000
do
HONOLULU.
Arctic
600
1,100
700
900
12, 000
18, 000
15, 000
7,000
do
Midas
Okhotsk
do
Milo
do
... do
1,000
160
600
550
1,150
1,300
1,000
470
1, 000
90
1,550
11,000
1,200
9,000
4,500
20, 000
25, 000
16, 000
4,000
20, 000
1, 000
25, 000
William Rotch
Okhotsk
Norman
Kadiak
4 ships and harks
3,300
52, 000
BREMEN.
Eastle
Count Bismarck
2 barks
Kadiak
Arctic
170
600
3,000
9,500
Ohio
do
do
do
President
Kadiak
Arctic . .
770
12, 500
TAHITI.
Kadiak
300
2,500
Kadiak
KECAPITTTLATION.
Fishing eroHud.
Ships and
barks.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
41
Barrels.
35, 005
Pmmdt.
575, 200
8
4,960
50,500
Kadiak
19
7,635
68,800
18
47, 600
684,500
TIIK WHAM'; K1SIIKI.
Li«t nf rtssfh comprising the Xorth 1'nrnii- ii'lmlinii ft catch uf ,-,icli vessel.
87
Name of vessel.
Fishing gronnd.
Seac«
Xame of vr
Fishing ground.
Season's catch.
Whale
oil.
Boue.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrel*.
1,500
700
750
1,300
I 000
1,000
soo
500
£00
950
1,70(1
1,101)
650
1,000
1,000
1,000
400
980
1,000
1,250
1,100
15, 000
17,000
i", r,oo
14, 000
21,000
17,000
11, 600
13,500
16,000
17, 000
14,000
15,000
14, OUO
13, 000
i ,,!.-(, RII — nuilinui-il.
Aivtii-
Barrels.
900
750
1,050
1,600
450
Pound*.
13, 000
11, 500
12, 000
18, 000
2,500
\m ]•!
do
do
...do
ill"*
Okhotsk
Triili'iit,
. . do
i llulfll
Okhotsk
. . do
33, 605
462, 900
do
Okhotsk
Arctic
do
500
600
5,000
8,500
George Howland
do
2 ships.
1,100
13,500
do
NEW LONDON.
600
900
120
350
11, 000
12, 60«
,.
i
.1. D. Thompson
....do
Monticello
....do
Nile
Okhotsk
4,000
Janus
Okhotsk
4 ships and barks
1,970
27, 600
Arctic;
BAN FRANCISCO.
Florida
Arctie
1,600
21, 000
15, 000
15, 000
25, 000
15, 000
15, 000
do
do
HONOLULU.
1,300
800
1,600
1,200
1,500
75
do
do
do
do
do
do
Count Bismarck
....do
do
do
Comet
...do
do
6,475
85, 000
£T
RECAPITULATION.
Fishing ground.
Ships and
barks.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
42
Barrtls.
41, 575
Pounds.
586, 200
Okhotsk Sea
6
2,575
21, 800
1
600
2,000
Total . . .
49
44,750
610, 000
88 HISTORY AND METHODS OF TI1K FI
TAX! of iii-xxi-h rtiniiirixhiii tin \oi-lli. Tnrifir •irlirtlhifl Jld't of 11-70, n-itli the, ai'dmii'n rali-li nf cni-l vessel.
Name of vessel.
Fishing ground.
Season's catch.
Name of vessel.
Fishing ground.
Season's cnich.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
I'olrinJx.
18, 000
10, 000
15,000
15, 000
15, 000
16, 000
18, 000
18, 000
15, 600
8,000
6,000
20, OOU
5,000
19, 650
20, 000
16, 000
4,300
17,000
30, 000
10, COO
13,01)0
16, 000
12, 000
10, 000
1,000
15, 000
12,000
23, 000
19, 000
16,000
18, 000
14, 000
•20, 000
13, 000
Whale
oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
1,050
740
1,300
1,080
1,400
1,600
1,550
1,200
1,150
750
400
1,200
400
1,100
1,500
1,000
350
1,500
1,100
2,100
900
1,070
1,200
925
700
380
1,000
970
1,650
1,350
1,200
950
1,800
1,000
EDGARTOWN.
Arctic
Barrels.
950
850
750
1,400
1'uunds.
12, 000
• 11, 000
10, 000
20, 000
do
.. do
do
...do
do
...do
do
4 ships and barks
'
do
3,950
S3, 000
NEW LONDON.
...do
700
1,500
200
8,000
15, 000
2,000
Eli/ahH h Swift
. . do
...do
do
. . do
Okhotsk..
.. do
Bristol Bay
2,400
25,000
Henry Taber
Arctic
... do
6JO( FEANCI6CO.
H les
1,900
1,050
800
190
30, 000
7,000
15, 000
10, 000
.-. do
... do
... do
John Wells
... do
do
.-..do
do
. do
... do
3,940
62, 000
Midas
- do
HONOLULU.
Arctic
do
850
400
1,500
1,000
1,500
650
500
800
880
8,080
15, 000
7,000
18, 000
10, 000
18, 000
10, 000
9,000
do ....
Norman
... do .
Ohio
... do
do
... do
0
do
Onward
... d»
do
Roman
... do
do
Sea Breeze
... do
do
Seneca
... do
°
do
Thomas Dickaeon
... do
do
Trident
... do
do
10, 000
97, 000
do
38, 915
519, 550
RECAPITULATION.
Fishing gronnd.
Ship and
barks.
Whale
oil.
Bone.
53
Barrels.
56, 685
Pounds.
749, 550
1
:oo
2,000
Bristol Bay
1
400
5,000
Total
55
57, 285
756, 550
In the season of 1871 the Korth Pacific fleet consisted of thirty-five American and four foreign
vessels, all but seven of which were abandoned in the ice off Wainwright's Inlet, north of Bering
Strait. The names of the saved vessels were the Buropa, Arctic, Progress, Lagoda, Daniel Web-
ster, Midas, and Chance. Four of the lost vessels belonged at Honolulu. The following are the
names of the abandoned vessels and the ports to which they belonged :
Tin: \VIIALK
89
NEW BEDFORD. — Barks : A\vashonks, Conrordia, Contest, Elizabeth, Emily Morgan, Eugenia,
Fanny. (Jay Head. George, llfiiry TalnT. John Wells, Massachusetts, Minerva, Navy, Oliver
< Yorker, Seneca, William Botch. Ships : George Howland, Reindeer, Eoman, Thomas Dickason.
NEW LONDON. — Bark: ,1. D. Thompson. »S'/i •//).- Monticello.
SAN FRANCISCO. — Barks : Carlotta, Florida, Victoria.
EDGARTOWN. — Shtys: Champion, Mary.
HONOLULU. — Paira Kohola, Comet, Victoria 2d, Julian.
The 2forth Pacific whaling fleet 0/1872.
Name of vessel.
"Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of Teasel.
Whale oiL
Bone.
NEW BEDFOBD.
Barrels.
775
Pounds.
13 000
NEW BEDFORD— continued.
Barrels.
900
Pounds.
7 000
150
3 000
70
1 900
450
600
8 000
360
4 000
1 000
12 000
Trideut
1,300
20 000
800
11 000
Triton
275
6 000
Helen Mar
1,050
10, 000
Total
18,980
248 200
Helen Snow
Illinois
40
1,000
400
19 000
NEW LONDON.
1 100
15 000
750
10 000
1 200
16 000
HONOLULU.
An'lic
1,000
12, 000
500
-"""< (UK)
T; W. Wood
550
12, 000
Live- Oak
1 000
]" OtlO
Total
1,550
24, 000
Marengt ....
1 450
16 500
BTDNKT.
Chance
200
3,000
Faraway
150
2,400
Total
350
5 400
The North Pacific whaling fleet of 1873.
NVme of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
M am e of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Active .
Barrels.
525
550
550
300
550
800
550
800
1,000
180
150
1, 150
1, 151)
1,100
1,600
1, 150
820
550
550
650
750
P(1V 1:
4,000
8,000
6,000
NEW BEDFORD — continued.
./•'•*/ rat .
1,075
400
900
100
Pounds.
17, 000
3,000
12, 000
Alaska .. ...
Triton
7,000
8,000
8,500
11,600
9,000
3, 500
3,000
19, 000
14, 000
14,000
13, 500
11,000
6, COO
9,000
7,000
4,500
Total j
NEW LONDON.
18, 595
210, 100
Ht-lfiiMar
380
4,000
Illinois
BAN FRANCISCO.
320
1,000
200
15, 000
.Tava2d
Jireh Perry
Total
1,320
15, 000
Live Oak
HONOLULU.
R. W.Wood
600
380
1.000
4,300
Midas
Arctic
Mount Wollaeton ,
Total -
980
6,300
SYDNEY.
Ocean Steed
800
7,000
90
HI8TOIi\ AND METHODS OF TliE FKSHKKI KS.
Tin- Xorlh Pacific whaling fleet "/ 1 .-'?•(.
Nafite of Yeaiel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whul,. oil
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrel*.
125
Pounds.
1 5PO
NI:W i.oxi'O.v
Barrels.
260
Pounds.
3,200
4 fiOn
140
10, 000
Floremt- .
200
2,300
Tii^tii -
260
3,000
10, 3UO
Java
1, 375
13, 000
Total
460
5,300
1, 1"!'
11,000
=-
=====
1,550
1 4(10
IS (id)
Arctic
950
10,000
(>nw:lril
600
5, 000
800
Northern Light
1,100
Total
1,550
15,000
i ma
1. Kill
flYUNl'Y.
Sea Breeze
CO
St George . .
Triton
i), 000
Total
10 600
*>13 COO
Total
980
10,001
The Xorth Pacific whaling fleet of 1-7:..
Name of Teasel.
Whale oil.
Name of veHfu-1.
'WTiale oil.
Bo»e.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
POT
13,450
XEV. 1 !lll,inm><i.
St. Geoi ••' . . -
Barrel*.
1, 750
1 1, -JSII
1,880
24, 200
Triton
1, 300
14. roo
1,100
10, 000
1 650
i. r.no
12, 200
fAN FRANCISCO.
Illinois
Floreno-
1,20(
10,000
15, 000
16, 430
:, 100
15,000
800
6,000
750
7,800
4,800
600
6,000
10,000
1, 000
8,000
1,650
18, 000
1 OIMI
18 600
Total . . .
3, 450
36, 800
.
The Xorth Pacific whaling fleet 0/1876.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone
Name of Teasel.
Whale oil.
Bono.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
Pounds.
NEW BEDFORD— continued.
Barrel*.
550
Pounds.
10,000
1,700
14, 900
Illinois ....;...
Total
4,550
33, 800
James Allen*
Java 2d*
Florence
700
1,400
1,400
4. 100
500
nONOIJT.il.
* Lost.
THE \VIIAI, !•;
91
The North Panfic irhnling Jt>-> I of 1*77.
Nome of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Xiime of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
\ 1 W 1IF.DFOBD.
Barrels.
Pounds.
12 000
NPW BEPFORD- continued.
Barrels.
700
Pounds.
4 000
Fli?a
700
1 500
1 500
6 500
1 300
20 500
700
3 000
i 'i\ i *
Brothers
*600
•500
1,080
800
Millon
RAX PRANOlsrO.
Mount WollaHtOll
850
12,000
Nomiau
1, 70(1
1,600
16,000
150
2 000
1' ,, 'it'll'.
1,350
15, 000
HONOLULU.
1 300
1° 000
William H. Allen
300
3,000
2 300
Total
17,830
156, 800
' Lost ; catch of whalebone saved.
The North Pacific whaling fc ft 0/1878.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
KEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
300
Pounds.
n 000
.•(KW BEDFORD — continued.
Pacific
Ban els.
670
Pounds.
5 500
850
12, 000
600
6,000
950
5,000
1,370
21,000
680
7 500
1 200
10 000
680
3,500
Thomas Pope
870
5,000
8GO
8,000
950
6,500
Florence*
500
4,000
850
6 000
Dawn
800
5,000
\ itkeniLi"ht
850
3 500
Total
13 080
114 200
"
' Lost — 300 barrels oil and 3,000 pounds bone saved.
The North ranfu- whaling fleet 0/1879.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
NF.W ItrciiPOKD.
Jlarrels.
1 175
NKW BEDFORD — contiuned.
Barrels.
1,150
Pounds.
17, 000
Coral
1 200
1"> mil)
1, 250
13, 000
950
8 500
1,000
15, 000
600
Vi»ilantt
400
6,000
1,100
15,000
1.280
12, 000
EDQARTOWN.
i ir.ii
15 000
: Bird .
450
4,000
(i:;.
9.000
4, 500
500
3,500
1, 250
13, 000
850
4.000
1, 150
8,500
Hidalgo
120
900
10 000
Total .
18, 800
200, 500
•Lost
tLftst seen In the Arctic Ocean October 10, 1879.
92
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
The North Pacific wlialiiig fleet of 1880.
Name of vessel.
Number
of whales.
Barrels
whale oil.
Pounds
whalebone.
Barrels
sperm oil.
Pounds wal-
rna ivory.
NEW BKDFOHD.
14
1,300
20, 000
17
1,700
23, 000
150
16
1,600
23, 000
56
1,800
12
1, 250
19, 000
180
1,100
16
1,450
25, 000
100
19
1,800
30, 000
600
5
SOO
7,500
40
27
2,250
45, 000
300
10J
1,550
17, 000
2,500
Pacific do...
Hi
1,700
17, 000
80
2,500
17i
1 900
28, 000
800
24J
' 2, 150
38, 000
80
150
17
1,650
25, 500
90
1,200
10
1,100
15, 000
40
900
EDGARTOWN.
9
900
12, 000
180
600
BAN PRiNCISCO.
12
550
23, 000
Dawn bark . .
13
1,400
17, 000
1,300
61
1,150
12, 000
1,150
8
800
12, 000
600
2G5J
*26, 700
409, 000
1,046
15, 450
'Includes 4,000 barrels walrus oil.
The North Pacific whaling fleet of 1881.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
1 200
Pounds.
14 000
SEW BEDFORD— continued.
Pacific
Barrels.
1,200
Pounds.
20, 090
700
12, 000
1,500
25, 000
1 800
3'1 000
1,650
30, 000
Coral
1 451)
•j| linn
1,250
24,000
350
7.000
200
3,000
1,050
12,000
1,200
,7,000
1,400
21, 000
450
0,000
1,900
30, 000
500
5,000
1,200
18, 000
Sea Breeze
1,400
25, 000
John Rowland
740
8,000
1,200
11, 000
1 000
16 000
Total
24, 740
387, 000
g
* Lost July 2.
t Japan Sea.
TI1K WIIALK F1S1IKKA.
93
The North J'mi/ir irlmlimj tla-t »/ L882.
Xamo of vessel.
Wlmlu oil.
Bone
Nainr of vessel.
AVI, ale ml.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
850
660
750
3rrO
950
1,250
200
BOO
.sun
1,400
MO
1, 75'.>
300
40H
701)
1,050
800
Pound*.
8.000
11,000
9, <
6,00(1
11,000
19,000
3,1 nil
11,000
11.100
9.000
i], no"
In. 500
11. son
NEW IIEDFORD— continued.
Ohi.i'Jcl
Barrels.
COO
1,000
350
Pounds.
8,000
15.0CO
3,200
Rainbow
Krinilfef *
11. Ivi il.TP, steuimT. ..
St:iinlniul
300
225
600
1, 030
1,000
9CO
350
700
1,300
4,000
3,800
. 10,000
20, 000
14, 000
14, 000
5,000
8,000
" 34,500
Young Pho?nix
EllGARTOWN.
n "
is
11*1 ' M
BAM FRANCISCO.
t
Jacob A. Howland
John Howland
Josephine
Mabel
Total
22, 975
360, 500
•Japan Sea.
t Lost July 8.
{ Lost May 6.
The North I'nc(fl<; whaling fleet of 1883.
Xiime of vessel.
Whale cil. Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Burrtlx.
COO
100
125
500
C50
275
140
250
90
125
350
250
330
300
125
240
380
200
325
450
Pounds.
6,700
NEW BEDFOKD— continued.
Eeimleer *
Barrels.
400
50
300
100
100
950
240
380
Pounds.
3,500
Stamboul
1,300
8,000
5,500
3,900
5,900
1,400
1,400
1,200
4, 400
2,000
5,500
5,000
1,500
4,500
4,500
3,500
5, 000
7,000
7,000
Tonng Pho?nix
6,300
1,500
4,000
15, OHO
3,300
3.000
SAN FRANCISCO.
•onntlin Billow
100
375
1,400
6,000
Eliza
Mabel
430
1,300
150
125
6,000
20, 500
1. 800
1,90(1
Oreo, steamer
Ohio °d
Total
10, 155
159, 400
* Japan Sea.
t Lost Jnly 17.
t Lost. September 22.
5 Lost Angust — .
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
The North Pacific whaling fleet of 1884.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
Name of vessel.
Whale oil.
Bone.
NEW BEDFORD.
Barrels.
WO
300
70
260
900
Pounds.
7,000
5,000
1,000
3,000
14, 000
.-AN FRANCISCO.
Amethyst
Barrels.
200
1,700
400
280
275
Pounds.
2,000
29, 000
10, 000
5,000
3,500
Baltena, steamer
Bowhead, steamer t
Bounding Billow
Belve ere,
Coral
370
850
1,000
380
100
240
200
270
650
750
£00
950
90
5,500
12, 500
18, 000
6,700
1,700
4,500
3,500
4,500
11, 500
12, 000
5,000
12, 000
1,700
Eliza
130
1,075
100
100
275
1,000
1,250
700
2,100
325
300
1,700
260
20, 450
2,000
11, 500
2,000
•4111111
3,000
17, 000
20, 000
12, 500
31, 000
5,500
3,800
25, 000
3,800
Helen Mar
Emroa F. Herriman t
.
Mabel
Mary and Helen, steamer
S
aiy
T" c Ph i-i
EDGARTOWN.
Total
318, 700
P
* Okhotsk and Japan Seas.
tLost.
DAVIS STRAIT AND HUDSON BAT FISHERY.
ORIGIN OF THE FISHERY. — The whale-fishery had been extensively prosecuted by the Dutch
at Spitzbergen and on the east coast of Greenland for more than a hundred years before it was
found necessary to seek other fields. The Dutch were the first to push into iiew waters and cap-
ture the animals on the west coast of Greenland in Davis Strait. They inaugurated the fishery
there in the year 1719, and were soon followed by other European nations. Probably the first
American vessel to visit Davis Strait sailed from New England, under Captain Atkins, in 1732.
He cruised as far as 66° north. In 1736 several whaling vessels returned to New England from
those parts, and in 1737 the Davis Strait fleet from Massachusetts alone numbered between fifty
and sixty vessels, a dozen of which were fitted at Provincetown.
Douglass, in his History of North America, published in 1760, says " some New England
men a few years since attempted whaling in the entrance of Davis Strait, but to no advantage;
they generally arrived there too late, in keeping too near the Labrador shore (they kept within 50
leagues of the shore, they should have kept 150 leagues to sea); they were embayed and impeded
by the fields of ice. Last year [1745] Nantucket brought about 10,000 barrels of whale oil to mar-
ket, this year they do not follow it so much, because of the low price of oil in Europe, notwith-
standing this year they fit out six or seven vessels for Davis Strait, and sail end of March; they
sometimes make Cape Farewell in fifteen days, sometimes in not less than six weeks. The
whaling season in both Greeulands is in May and June; the Dutch set out for Davis Strait
beginning of March; sometimes they are a month in bearing to weather Cape Farewell; they
do not arrive in the fishing-grounds until May. Anno 1743, perhaps a medium year, the Dutch
had in Davis Strait fifty whaling ships (at Spitzbergen or East Greenland they had one hun-
dred and thirty-seven whalers) and got seventy-six and a half whales."
The American whale-fishery was very prosperous just before the Revolutionary war, when the
annual northern fleet fitted out I'nuu Massachusetts numbered one hundred and eighty-three
THE WHALE FISHEET. 95
vessels, measuring 13,830 tons. Many of these cruised in Davis Strait, while the remainder pur-
sued the fishery in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, ;i bout the Straits of Belle Isle, and in other northern
waters. After the war the business was greatly reduced in extent, and the northern fleet num-
bered only ninety-one very few of which went as far north as Davis Strait. There was at
this time, however, a great increase in the northern fisheries from British and French ports, many
of these foreign vessels being1 commanded and in some eases manned by American whalemen who
had settled in England, where they might take advantage of the bounty system.
The war of JS1L' to 1815 between the United States and England had a very depressing influ-
ence on the American whale-fishery ; alter the war it revived, but tho northern cruising grounds
\\cre abandoned for the more profitable southern fields that were less exposed to danger and
yielded an abundance of sperm and whale oil.
REVIVAL OF THE FISHERY IN 1846. — It was not until the year 1846 that Davis Strait was
aiiain visited by our whalemen. In that year the ship McLennan, under Captain Slate, sailed from
New London on the 8th of April, and returned September 17 with about 140 barrels of oil. Part
of the officers and crews of the vessel were Englishmen experienced in the fishery in those waters.
Although the first voyage was not as successful as could be desired, yet the McLennan was again
fitted in the spring of 1847, and sailed March 5, returning October 5 with 1,111 barrels of oil and
15,000 pounds of bone, besides 845 seal-skins obtained off the Newfoundland coast at the beginning
of the season. In 1849, 1850, and 1851 other voyages were made, and in 1852 the vessel was lost in
the Davis Strait, while on her sixth voyage to those waters. The product of her several voyages
was about 3,500 barrels of whale oil and 51,000 pounds bone, besides a few thousand seal-skins
and some barrels of seal oil.
Capt. S. O. Buddington, who sailed on the McClennan on her voyages in 1850 and 1851, gives
the following account of those and subsequent voyages in which he participated: "On the 7th of
?>larch, 1850, I sailed on the McClenuan from New London bound for Davis Strait. We were
fitted for sealing as well as whaling. When we arrived on the coast of Newfoundland we saw
seals on the ice some 40 miles from land. In cruising along the coast as far as the Straits of Belle
Isle, we captured about seven hundred seals, saving the skins and blubber. About the middle of
May we quitted sealing and went whaling off Discoe, Greenland, and in Baffin's Bay. We got
five whales that season, and arrived home October 22. The next year 1 sailed again in the same
vessel, leaving New London February 8. While sealing during the spring along Newfoundland
and south of Davis Strait we got about eleven hundred seals and I wo whales. We did not
go as far north as Discoe this \ear, but whaled in Cumberland Inlet, where we got a few whales,
and at the close of the season the vessel left for home, arriving at New London, October 28, with
L'5.s barrels of oil, 4,900 pounds of bone, 1,100 seal-skins, and some seal oil. The entire crew of
the McClennan did not return home in her, but myself with a gang of twelve men were left to
spend the winter in the inlet, for the purpose of trading with the natives and capturing what
whales and seals we could. We built the frame of a hut from spare stuff left by the vessel, and
covered it with seal-skins. Here we spent the cold winter, occasionally securing a seal and pur-
chasing articles of the nati\ es in exchange for knives, powder, &c. We were the first whalemen
that ever spent a winter in tin's region. At the opening of spring we found whales in considerable
abundance, and with the aid of the natives secured during the spring and summer months sixteen
small whales that yielded considerable blubber, and about 16,000 pounds of bone.
"The. McClenuan left home in tin* spring of isr>i_', but ne\er reached the inlet. It is thought,
she was lost near the entrance to Davi.- \fterwaiting long enough to be satisfied that
<mi x.-.^si-.l would not return to lake, us hoi- Lipped our oil. skins, and bone on an English
9fi HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
vessel, and sailed on her for Hull, England, leaving the inlet October 1, and arriving at Hull
November 7, when we sold onr oil, whalebone, and seal skins. I started for the United States
on an English vessel, but she was disabled and returned to port, when I shipped on another
vessel, and arrived in New Loudou about the middle of January, is ">.''..
"On July 13, 1853, I sailed again for Davis Strait on the brig Georgiana. We did not stop
for seal on the Newfound!; nd coast, but hastened to Cumberland Inlet, where we spent the winter
with the vessel frozen in the ice. This was the first whaling- vessel to winter in the ice in the
vicinity of Davis Strait. We had quite a successful time in catching seals and whales at the
opening of spring, taking advantage of the first movement of the ice when whales were abundant,
and we secured twelve in two days. During the entire voyage we caught twenty-four whales that
yielded 890 barrels of oil and 16,0(10 pounds of bone. My trade and capture we got about 1,000
seal-skins, worth at that time about 75 cents apiece at New London. Arrived home October 8,
1854.
" In the year 1855 I sailed again in the same vessel, leaving New London April 11. Some of
the crew were disabled by scurvy while on our way north. This delayed us, so that when we reached
Frobisher Bay we were too late in the season for whaling. We wintered in the bay and had a
terrible hard time of it, losing fourteen men by scurvy- As soon as the ice opened in the spring we
started for home, but our men were weak and it took us several weeks to make a tew miles. After
many difficulties we finally reached N\?w Louden September 27, 1856, with no cargo except about
200 seal-skins obtained during the winter.
" In 1857 I sailed ou the Georgiana again, and had a very good voyage, leaving New Londoi
April 11, and arriving home December 20, with 600 barrels of oil, 12,000 pounds of bone, and
about 200 seal skins. I tried it again in the same vessel in 1858. We sailed June 1, the vessel
and outfit being valued at $9,000; went to Cumberland Inlet and wintered there, and returned
home December 9, 1859, with a cargo valued at $21,000. This was an excellent voyage and quite
a contrast to the terrible hardships of our trip two years before.
"Ou May 29, 1860, I went north in the bark George Henry, ('apt. C. F. Hall went with us.
This was his first trip to the Arctic. He has written an account of it iu a book entitled Arctic
Researches, published in 1S65. Our whaling-ground on this voyage was in Frobisher Bay. where
we wintered two seasons returning home September 13, 1862, with 564 barrels of oil, 10,100 pounds
of bone, 450 seal-skins, and 250 walrus-skins. As these were the first quantity of walrus skins
brought home by any whaling vessel, we did not know whether they were of any merchantable
value. We had prepared them by salting a little and then drying on the rocks. They sold at 50
cents each in New London and were used for belting. During the winter months we lived with
(he natives in their huts. We got short of provisions and moved from place to place, so that we
were, sometimes a long distance from our vessel. Wherever we went \\e took a whale-boat, and
gear along with us, rigging the boat on a sled for this purpose. Occasionally we would pull the
boat to the edge of the. ice and go in search of whales, capturing several in this manner.
"I sailed in 1863 on a voyage to Cumberland Inlet iu the schooner Franklin. We wintered
there and arrived home, in 1864. I made two voyages after this, each tolerably successful."
From 1S46 to 1852 the McCleiinan was the only American vessel fishing in the vicinity of
Davis Strait. In the latter year this vessel was lost, and in 1853 the Amaret and Georgiana
were fitted for those waters. In 1855 the George Henry was added to the fleet, and these three
comprised the entire Davis Strait fleet until 1800, when ten vessels were sent out to those waters
The vessels that had been sent north prior to 1860 were generally of the older class, and not
thoroughly equipped for sc\ere battling with the ice, but that year two huge ships were included
THE WHALE FISHERY. 97
in tin- list. These were fitted at ;i large cost for the express purpose of pushing farther west
through Hudson Strait into the bay where il \v;is anticipated abundance of whales could bo
found, and where no American vessel had ever been. "Without accurate charts, in waters totally
unknown, among ice and strong currents, in short days and long nights, in fogs and gales of wind,
with large compass variations, these adventurous navigators pushed their way, and reached the
longitude of f)<>°, spent a winter there, when tho thermometer fell to G0° below zero, obtained
cargoes worth about s<;o,<)00, and returned to the United States in ISfil."*
Si-uce 18GO this fishery has been pursued with varying success; the total number of voyages
lilted since that date has been one hundred and eight, and the largest number sent out in any
oue year was nineteen vessels in ISG4. About 3 per cent, of the entire catch of whale oil and
5 per cent, of the whalebone taken by the American fleet from 1870 to 1880 was by the Hudson
Bay vessels. Most of the whaling has been carried on in Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay, no
Americans having pushed on as far north as do the Scotch steam whalers that cruise up as far
as the seventy-fourth parallel. The first steam-whaling vessel owned in the United States was
the steam-bark Pioneer, sent to Davis Strait in 1866. She sailed April 28, and arrived home
November 14, with 340 barrels of oil and 5,300 pounds of bone. She sailed again in 1867, and
was lost on the voyage, being sunk by the ice. The best voyage ever made by the Davis Strait
fleet was by the bark Pioneer that sailed from New London Julie 4, 1864, and after passing the
season in Hudson Bay returned, September 18, 1865, with 1,391 barrels of oil and 22,650 pounds
of bone, valued at $150,000.
The vessels in this northern fleet must be double planked around the bow and along the sides
near the water line as a. protection against the ice. This planking will last for several years. No
copper or metal is used on the bottom, and but few sails are needed as the vessel is frozen in the
ice much of the time. The natives are of great assistance to the whalers, helping them in taking
whales and also in procuring fresh lisli and meat. On (he Scotch steamers it is the general
custom to carry the blubber home to be tried, out, but American whalers here, as in other parts of
the world, prefer to try it out on board the vessels. The Scotchmen cruise about these waters
during the summer months, and then return home, while many of the American vessels winter in
the ice.
Most of the whales taken in these northern waters are of the bowhead or polar species — which
is peculiarly an ice- whale — and is the same as taken by the Pacific- Arctic fleet. Whales have been
taken in the vicinity of Point Barrow, with harpoons in them bearing the marks of vessels that
had been pursuing the fishery in the vicinity of Davis Strait; hence it seems certain that there
exists a passage from one ocean to the other. An instance of this kind is given by the Honolulu
Commercial Advertiser, in December, 1870. It is an account of a harpoon which was found in a
whale captured by the ship Cornelius Howland, of New Bedford, then cruising in the North
Pacific Ocean. It is the custom among whalemen to have each iron stamped with initials desig-
nating the ship to which it belongs. This is done to prevent dispute in case it is necessary to
waif the whale, or in case boats from two different ships lay claim to one which has been killed.
While off Point Barrow the Cornelius Howland took a large polar whale, in the blubber of which
\\as embedded the head of a harpoon marked " A. C5-.,'' the wound made by it having healed over.
This was presumed to have belonged to the bark Ansel Gibbs, also of New Bedford. But she
was known to have been pursuing the fishery in Cumberland Inlet and its vicinity for some ten
or eleven years previously. The obvious inference was that this whale must have found his way
'ill. K. H. Chapell, «f New London, in a ]• apt. C. F. Hull, quoted, iu Narrative of the Second Arctic
Expedition.
SKC. v, VOL. ii 7
98 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
from ocean to ocean by some channel unknown to navigators, and that at some seasons of tlie
year there must be an inter-ocean communication. The Advertiser adds: "We have heard befon
of instances where whales have been caught at Cumberland Inlet with harpoons in them, with
which they have been struck in the Arctic Ocean, but we believe this is the first authenticated
instance of a whale having been caught in the Arctic Ocean with a harpoon in it from the Davis
Strait side."
Scarcely any effort lias ever been made by Americans to find whaling-grounds to the east of
Greenland or at Spitzbergen, where the Dutch and English once found such profitable fishing.
Two American vessels have been sent to the Spitzbergen seas; one, the Hannibal, of New London,
a ship of 441 tons that sailed May 21, 1855, and returned March 21, 1850, with 28 barrels of whale
oil; the other vessel \vas the bark Tempest, also of New London, that sailed May 21, 1857. After
an unsuccessful cruise near Spitzbergen and the east coast of Greenland, she sailed for the South
Atlantic and thence to the North Pacific Ocean, where, after several cruises, she obtained a fair
cargo, and returned to New London in 1861. The four years' cruise of the Tempest was not profit-
able, but resulted in a loss of $7,000. The owner being asked how he could lose so much by the
voyage, said: "I will, by way of reply, mention a few items, and the reader may draw his own
inferences. Cost of vessel; interest on the same; outfits; interest on outfits; provisions for a
large crew; advance to crew; desertion of men; shipping new hands; repairs on vessel; wear
and tear; staving boat; clothing for men; new sails; few whales; insurance; commission;
leakage; gauging; commission; wharfage; port charges; taxes; more leakage; outgoes; freight;
fog; thunder."
Another attempt of Americans to whale in the waters north of Europe was made at Iceland
in the years 1865 and 1866, by Captains Dahl and Royce. They proceeded to Seidis Fjord, in
latitude 65° 18' north, with two vessels, the bark Reindeer, of New "York, under the American flag
and a little steamer called the Visionary, which was built in Scotland, and sailed under the
Danish flag. They had two whale-boats fitted for catching the whales that were towed by the
steamer into the fjord where they were cut in. The first season proved unsuccessful, but in the spring
of 1866, twenty sulphur-bottom whales were taken yielding about 900 barrels of oil. Extensive
arrangements had been made to carry on the fishery, steam oil try-works having been built on
land. In the winter of 1865-'(J6 there was sent to Ireland the Dutch schooner Jan Albert, that
had been remodeled into a screw steamer and named the Litens. The crew consisted of Ameri-
cans, Danes, Scotch, Russians, and one Polynesian. They further employed two small iron
steamers built in Glasgow and Liverpool, and called t lie Vigilant and Stegpideder. By the end
of September they had taken forty whales that yielded about 2,400 barrels of oil. Although this
American attempt to establish a whale-fishery at Iceland was partially successful, yet the returns
as compared witii the expenses of the undertaking did not warrant its continuance, and the fishery
was abandoned.
The fishing by Scotch vessels in Davis Strait and east of Greenland, as also the early history of
the Spitzbergen whale-fishery are discussed below under the head of Whale Fishing by Foreign
Nations.
The total number of American vessels that have engaged in whaling in Davis Strait, Hudson
Bay, and vicinity, since the revival of this fishery in 1846, includes 16 schooners, 7 brigs, 13 barks,
7 ships, and 1 steamer, a total of 44 vessels, of which 18 were lost on their voyages. The
entire number of voyages fitted out in the same period was 138.
RECORD OF VOYAGES 1846 TO 1879. — The following table is a record of each voyage made
b.y the American licet to the region of Davis Strait and Hudson Bay from 1846 to 1879:
THE WHALE FISHERY.
Voyages of tin' Hurls xtruil unit Hudson Bay fleet from 1846 to 1879.
99
X .iiim "I" v. ••<•» 1
Rig.
Tons.
Port.
Sailed.
Hemmed.
Whale
oil.
Whale-
bone.
Remarks.
1846-1852.
Mrl'leiinaii
1)..
Ship
do
376
376
New Lou. 1.. M
do
Apr. s.isu;
"• 1847
Sept. 17, 1846
Oct. 5, 1SJ7
Barrels.
140
1,111
Pounds.
15, 000
Do
do
376
ilo
Mill, 3 1819
Oct. Hi isr.i
COO
12, 000
Dii
do
376
do
Mar. 7 IfoO
Oct. "" I860
450
7,000
700 seal-skins
Do
do
376
do
1 .-.-i 1
(ii-i
258
4,900
P..
1853.
Am. 11. '1 ..
. . . do
Bri;:
do
376
111
190
do
New London. -
do
Mar. _, 1S;V_'
,Inly 13.1853
Joly 13. 1853
Ail-. 29, 1854
Oct. 9, 1854
369
890
8,000
16, 000
Lost in Davis Strait.
1854.
91
\H.r 1<> 1855
f!lean
1855.
Bark
303
Max1 29 I •
] >er °(J 1855
1S4
in the ice from October, 1854, to July,
1855.
190
do
Apr i '
Sept 16 1856
lute, of the English expedition in search
of Franklin.
1856.
A m.iivt
Brig
B-irk
91
303
New London . .
do
May 111,1856
May 21 1856
, 1857
Sept. 17 1857
190
418
2,200
meu from scurvy.
1857.
Ain;irct
Brig...
do
91
180
New London
Sept. 7, 1857
Apr. 11, 1857
Sept. 1,1858
Dec. 20,1857
267
443
5,700
6,500
Frozen in the ice eight months ; took the
first whale July 1, and was full July 22.
Brie
190
Jniie 1, 1858
Dec. 9, 1859
847
15, 000
Sailed for $9,000; cargo worth $21,000.
1859.
Brig
91
Apr 13 1859
Lose iu Cumberland Inlet September 27,
1860.
A Msrl (.illtliS
AnM<>iie
Black Eagle
Daniel "Webster
Ship
Bark
...do
Ship
319
340
311
336
Fair Haven - . .
New Bedford
do
do
\|n 11,1860
Mar. 15,1860
May 20,1860
Mai. L'l 1860
Nov. 11, 1861
Oct. 12,1863
Nov. 3,1861
Jan. 5 IScr.
500
1,500
1, 122
9.000
•:4, ooo
17, 800
6,500
1860. The Aroaret wa3 the Rescue of
Kane's expedition.
Put in Aberdeen, Scotland, on account of
George Henry . - . .
Gforgiana
Bark
Brig
Ship
303
190
441
New London . .
do
do
May -!>. l:-il.l
M:u 1,1860
Mar "1 ]M;I.
Sept. 13, 1862
Oct. 7, 1861
564
695
10, 100
14, 700
8,000
MM- reliellimi ; sent home 2, 500 pounds
Imnr ; I hnvnieii < lied of scurvy in 1862.
ir.ii .-.eal and 2."ft walrus skins.
Abandoned in Cumberland InletOctober,
N'uilliern IJgbt
...do
Bark
513
235
Fair Haven...
-1,1860
June 1 1860
Oct. 11,1861
Oct. 22 1SC1
1,104
10
21,000
1861.
;,hn'.-n-
K61.
A llh-Iujn'
Nortln-i M Ll-lit
1862.
A n-» 1 ( . ilili-
P.la.-k Eaglit
....
Ship
Bark
Ship
Ship
Bark
liiig
liark
do
461
340
513
319
311
190
176
235
Fair Haven...
New Bedford .
do
New Bedford .
do
New London .
Xcw Bedford .
June, 13, 1860
Oct. 31, L861
Nov. I
Apr.
May :.. 1 :->;_•
Apr. -J7, 1.-I1L'
Ma\ '
Oct. 11,1861
Oct. 12,1863
Oct. 17, 18112
<"M. 11,1863
X..v. 3,1863
(). t. •_•:,, 1867
(lit. 13,1863
665
1,500
1,295
1,000
,650
319
225
561
15,700
24,000
10, 900
17, 580
30 000
4,700
3,000
9,000
Five men died of scurry.
A. h,,
Si I "• i
Bark
90
303
New London - -
New Bedford
\|e
i),-i. 2
Oi-t. 2
51
1 046
2,150
17, 150
\\~, bs& r
Franklin
...do
336
119
... dn
Apr. .
;, ISIM
Sept. -, 1M1I
36
341
9,700
5,800
303
do
Lost in Hudson Bay, 1863.
Isabella .-
Brie...
192
...do ..
June 6. 1863
Oct 4.1864
502
7,250
100
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Voyages of the Davis Strait and Hudson Hay fleets from 1846 to 1879 — Continued.
Name of vessel.
Rig-
Tons.
Port.
Sailed.
Ketnrued.
Whale
oil.
Wbale-
o ne.
Remarks.
1863.
Northern Light
Pavilion
Win. Thompson
1864.
Ship
Brig ...
Ship
Bark
do
513
150
495
311
265
197
188
165
190
262
108
95
81
254
356
305
176
130
235
101
303
336
188
119
192
356
101
303
311
265
148
177
105
128
108
238
134
91
228
212
105
101
77
277
188
119
192
216
212
303
217
New Bedford .
Fair Haven . . .
New Bedford
New Bedford .
Sag Harbor. . .
New London .
do
do
do
New Bedford .
New London
do
do
New Bedford .
New London . .
New Bedford
do
Fair Havei, .
New London .
do
Apr. 29,1863
June 15, 1863
Mar. 17, 1863
May 7,1864
June 3,1864
May 9,1864
Aug. 31, 1864
Juno 4,1864
Apr. 13, 1864
June 21, 1864
June 30, 1864
June 8, 1864
May 28, 1864
Apr. 24,1864
June 3(1, 1864
May 14, 1804
Apr. 9,1864
f>, 1864
June 4,1864
Apr. 19,1804
Apr. 1, 1805
May 20, 1865
May [7
Apr. 25, 186.',
Mar. 7,1865
Apr. 19, 1865
Oct. 26,1865
May 1,1866
Apr. 20, 1860
Slay 11,1866
Apr. 18,1866
Apr. 10, 1866
Apr. 18, 1866
July 12,1866
July 16,1866
Apr. 18, 1866
May 8,1866
May 1, 1866
Apr. 19, 1866
Apr. 28, 1866
June 28, 1866
June 28, 1866
June 6, 1866
May 20,1867
Apr. 11, 1867
May 2, 1867
May •.'5,1867
Apr. 2,1867
Mar. 20, 1807
June 3, 1808
Apr. 20, 1868
Oct. 24,1864
Barrels.
1,270
Pounds
20, !IOO
Crashed in the ice in Hudson Bay ii»
1863 ; seven men lost ; survivors suf-
fered severely from cold and exposure.
Value of cargo, $150,000.
First steam whaler from the United
States.
Lost in Cumberland Inlet November 14,
1867.
Sunk among the ice in Hudson Strait,
July 6, 1867.
Dec. 19,1863
Oct. 1, 1865
Oct. 1, 1865
Oct. 11, 1865
Sept. 20, 1864
Oct. 10,1865
Oct. 10,1865
Nov. 13, 1865
Sept, 1
Oct. 28, 1864
Sept. 11, 1863
Oct. 28, 1864
Sept. 21, ISC.-,
Oct. 14, 1865
Oct. 6, 1865
May 31, 1865
Sept, 18,1865
Oct. 5, 1865
Apr. 25,1806
Nov. 14, 1866
Xov. 19, 1866
Sept. 17, 1866
Nov. 9,1866
Nov. 7,1866
Oct. 9, 1867
Oct. 9, 1867
Sept. 24, 1867
Sept, 13, 1867
Oct. 31,1867
Oct. 8, 1867
Sept. 14, 1867
Nov. 29, 1867
Nov. 20, 1867
Oct. 31,1867
Oct. 25,1867
Sept. 22, 1867
Sept, 12, 1867
Nov. 14,1866
Sept. 14, 1868
Oct. 9, 1866
Sept. 26, 1866
100
781
70
300
Clean.
180
766
328
Clean.
Clean.
287
2,082
27]
1,170
472
75
1,391
199
703
236
534
584
923
300
320
200
440
200
20
500
800
50
650
225
280
3-10
362
249
Clean.
1,200
12, 400
900
4,200
Cornelia
Schooner
do
George and Mary
Bark ....
Bli"
2,800
15, 250
5,550
Sehooner .
..do
..do
...do ....
Bark
...do
Hek-ii F
Isabel
Leader
5,000
39, 200
3,900
17, 900
7.254
795
22, 650
3,000
1C, 600
11,500
2,900
8,900
10,500
14, 500
6,000
6,000
3,000
7,300
Mmiticello
Orray Taft
...do
Pioneer
S. B. Howes
1865.
Bark
...do
Bark
Ship
Schooner .
... do
Brig
Bark
Schooner .
Bark
do
New Bedford .
do
New London. .
do
do
New Bedford
New London . .
New Bedford .
do
Daniel Webster
Eta
Franklin
Isabella
Milwood
S. B. Howes .
1866.
Ansel Gibbs
Black Eagle
do
Sag Harbor. . .
Schooner
.. do
New Bed ford
New London. .
do
200
10, 000
16, 000
George and Mary . .
tana
Helen F
Morning Star
Orray Taft
Bark
Brig
Schooner .
Bark
do
do
New Bedford .
do
Fair Haven . . .
New Bed lord .
New London . .
do
do
.... do
New Bedford .
New London . .
do
do
New Bed ford .
New London. .
•
Sag Harbor. . .
12, 000
3,000
8,000
8,000
5,300
6,600
5,600
Oxford
Brig
Pioneer
Pioneer
Bark
Steamer . .
Schooner .
...do
do
S.B.Howes
TJ. D
1867.
Andrews
Bark
Schooner
...do
lirig
Bark ....
Steamer . .
Bark
...do
Era
Aug. 27, 1868
Sept. 10, 1868
Sept. 14, 1868
Nov. 13, 1868
837
393
668
378
13, 400
6,600
8,700
3,889
Franklin
Isabella
Milwood
Pioneer
1868.
Ansel Gibbs
Concordia
Sept. 20, 1869
Oct. 7, ]>:i',!l
650
200
10,000
2,900
THK WIIALK KISIIKI.'Y.
of the Hiii-i* xtriiit anil //«</>,«« i:,n/ jln-lx J'lom l*4(\ l<> ISTU— Continucil.
101
Name of vessel.
Sidled.
Returned.
Whale
oil.
SV halo-
bone.
Remarks.
1668.
Schooner .
Bark ...
Brig
S; llOHII'T
Brig
Schooner .
Schooner .
..do
Brig
Bark
Si aoone]
Bnik ....
.do
Schooner
Bark
Bark
.do
MS
105
128
108
91
101
188
119
192
•_'16
105
303
105
101
303
•J17
195
192
216
115
lay -.'0,1868
>, 18CS
June 20, 1868
rnly UO, 1868
M:..v 1
May 18,1869
Apr. 14, I860
Apr. 6, 1869
May 18,1869
JuneSl, 1870
May 3, 1870
July 7,1870
Dec. 13.1871
Apr. 25,1871
July 9, 1871
May 31, 1871
Sept. 25, 1871
Ma\ 28,1872
May 29, 1872
July 2,1872
June 26, 1873
May 12, 1874
June 15, 1874
June 9,1874
June 8,1875
May 4,1875
May 23, 1876
July 17, 1877
July 11, 1877
May 30, 1877
July 11, 1877
May 8,1878
May 4,1878
May 15,1878
July
May 14, 1878
JS, 1878
Jnne23,1879
June 15, 187!
Jun»2':, 187!
:, 1869
Sept. 1
Barrels.
143
450
yminds.
1,765
8,000
Lost, in 1868 with entire crew
Lost, in Cumberland Inlet November 10,
1876.
Lost in Cumberland Inlet in 1869.
Lost in 1870.
Lost in tho inlet in 1873.
Lost in Hndson Bay October 19, 1872,
having 630 barrels oil and 810, 000 pounds
boneon board; 3, 500 pounds bone were
saved; 15 of crew died of scurvy.
Nothing but freight ; broken up in 1873.
Losf on Biaek T.ead Island.
Lost in Hndson Bay September 14, 1872.
The fiist mate and a boat's crew were
lost in tho ice September 5, 1874.
Lost in Hndson Bay June 12, 1877;
value $24,000.
Lost in Hudson Bay August 16, 1878
Male froze, to deaib. Brought home re-
n: i ms of Dr. Irving, of Franklin Expe>
dition.
George and Mary..
Georgiana
X* \v London
.... do
... do
fa ir II a\ rn
NY\v J.'
>, . v. 1 .ondnii .
....do
do
ill'oid
"tidon. .
New !'•
Now London . .
.... do
New Bedford .
New London..
New Bed fold .
Now London. .
New Bedford .
New Bedford
Pioviucetown
New Bedford
New London .
New Bedford
New London .
New Bedford
New London.
do
New Bedford
New Bed ford
New London.
do
do
t
New Bedford
do
do
do
1,450
13,600
Oxford
Nov. C',1869
Oct. 5, 1870
Oct. 5, 1870
Oft. I'', 11-70
("let. 6,1870
Oct. (j, 1871'
Nov. 20, 1871
Clean.
533
47:i
527
990
1869.
Era
5,400
8,418
6,587
15, 900
Kiankliu
Isabella
1S7U.
1,340
425
22, 040
5,000
George and Mary. .
1871.
Ausel Gibbs
C'oncordia
Nov. 9, 1871
Sept. 'JO, 1873
Oct. 28,1872
75
1,600
228
Brig
Bark
140
878
180
1872.
A bbie Bradford
Schooner .
do
Sept. 7,1873
Oct. 8, 1872
13,131
:i. 128
Bark
134
192
115
293
259
192
293
219
197
134
89
293
115
160
197
77
1873.
Isabella
1874.
Abbie Bradford
Nile
President
1875.
Isabella
Brig
Schooner. .
Ship
Bark
Bri"
Sept. 2,1873
Sept. 24, 1875
Dec. 9, 1874
Sept, 16, 1874
Aug. 27, 1877
Jan. 11,1876
Clean.
650
800
500
400
380
200
243
20
LOO
550
190
20
40
200
150
70
300
550
12,000
- 000
K. iiiin
4,000
5,000
4,500
2,800
•j, null
8,000
8,000
3,000
Nile
Ship
Bark
Brig
Schooner.
.. do
1876.
A. Houghton
1877.
A J Ross
Apr. 10, 1878
Dec. 4,1878
Nov. 27, 1878
Dec. 1, 1878
Aug. 31, 1S79
Sept. 1,1879
Era
Nile
Bark
Schooner.
Brig
...do
1878.
Abbie Bradford . - -
Al.lM'tt Lawrence.
A. J. Rosa...
Franklin
Isabella
Mattapoisett
1879.
George and Mary .
Delia HoJgkins...
Ang. 31, 1879
Aug. 31, 1879
Sept. 7,1879
Sept. 22, 1880
Nov. 22, 1879
Nov. 24, 1880
215
4,000
2,000
Brig
Bark
Bark
Schooner,
do
132
110
105
95
134
do
do
New Bedford
New London
do
8,000
102 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
7. HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY FROM 1750 TO 1815.
The Dutch aud English bad carried on the whale-fishery iu the northern seas for several years
prior to the settlement of New England by Englishmen. Along the shore of Massachusetts whales
were constantly being driven ashore and were secured by the inhabitants. In the early records
of the colonies we find numerous references to drift whales, but it was not until about the year
1712 that vessels were used, and those of but small tonnage, so that they ventured but on short
voyages. By the year 1730, however, the vessels were of larger class and generally sloop-rigged.
By the year 1750 there was a large fleet sailing from various ports in New England, which has
always been the enterprising center for the whale-fishery in this country.
The following exhaustive review of the American whale-fishery during the period from 1750 to
1815 is quoted from Starbuek's History of the Whale Fishery printed in the report of the United
States Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for l.S7j-'7G :
BOUNTY TO ENGLISH WHALERS.— " The period from 1750 to 1784 was the most eventful era to
the whale-fishery that it has ever passed through. For a large proportion of the time the business
was carried on under imminent risk of capture, first by the Spanish and French and after by the
English. The colonial Davis Strait fishery seems to have been quite abandoned, and the vessels
cruised mostly to the eastward of the Grand Banks, along the edge of the Gulf Stream and in the
vicinity of the Bahama*. In 1748 the English Parliament had passed a second act to encourage
this fishery. By it the premium on inspection of masts, yards, and bowsprits, tar, pitch, and tur-
pentine, aud on British-made sail-cloth were to continue, and the duties on foreign-made sail-cloth
were remitted to vessels engaged in this pursuit. A bounty was also granted on all ships engaged
in whaling during the then existing war ; harpoouers and others employed in the Greenland fish-
ery were exempted from impressment. The commissioners of customs were, under the required
certificate, to pay the second twenty shillings per ton bounty granted by Parliament over the
first twenty previously granted.* The ships which had sailed during the previous March or April
were to be equal sharers iu this bounty with those whose sailing had been delayed. All ships
built or fitted out for this pursuit from the American colonies conforming to this act were to be
licensed to whale, and iu order to receive the bounties must remain in Davis Straits or vicinity
from May (sailing about May 1) until the 20th of August, unless sooner full or obliged to return
by accident. Foreign Protestants serving in this fishery for two years, aud qualifying themselves for
its prosecution, were to be treated as though they were natives.! The cause of this concession to
the colonies was a part of Lord Shirley's scheme to rid Acadia of the French. It was his desire
that George II should cause them to be removed to some other English colony, and settle Nova
Scotia with Protestants, t and to this end invitations were sent throughout Europe to induce
Protestants to remove thither. 'The Moravian Brethren were attracted by the promise of exemp-
tion from oaths and military service. The good will of New England was encouraged by care for
its fisheries ; and American whalemen, stimulated by the promise of enjoying an equal bounty
with the British, learned to follow their game among the icebergs of the Greenland seas.'§ 'The
New Eiiglanders of this period.' says Bancroft,|| ' were of homogeneous origin, nearly all tracing
their descent to the English emigrants of the reigns of Charles the First and Charles the Second.
They were a frugal and industrious race. Along the sea-side, wherever there was a good harbor,
fishermen, familiar with the ocean, gathered in hamlets ; and each returning season saw them
"*In sixth year of the ivigu of George II." "t Mass. Col. MSS., Maritime, vi, p. 316."
" t The carrying out of this srhcnie and the destruction of the colony of Acadian* justly receives execration."
" § Bancroft's Hist. U. S., v, p. 45." " || Ibid., iv, p. 149."
TIN: \\IIAI.K risiiEi;v. 103
with an ever-increasing number of mariners ;uul vessels, taking Hie coil and mackerel, and some
times pursuing the whale into the icy labyrinths of '.he northern seas; yet loving home, and
dearly attached to their modest freeholds.'
"Of this period Hiite.hinson says : * 'The increase of the consumption of oil by lamps as well
as by divers manufactures in Kurope has been no small encouragement to our whale-fishery. The
flourishing state of the island of Xantucket must be attributed to it. The cod and whale fishery,
being the principal source of our returns to Great Britain, are therefore worthy not only of
provincial but national attention.'
"A continual succession of foreign wars, in which the hardy fishermen and farmers of New
England were constantly called to the aid of England, coupled with a continual succession of in-
tolerant measures adopted by the mother country toward the plantations, which, in common with
the colonists at large, they felt impelled to resist, was gradually preparing America for the event-
ful struggle which was to end in its independence. By the experience of the wars they learned
their strength; through the pressure of the tyrannical acts they learned their rights."
EMBARGO OF 1757. — "Pending the expedition for the reduction of Nova Scotia in 1755 an
embargo was laid upon the Bank fishermen, though the risk of capture was so great that it of
itself must have quite effectively embargoed many of them. t
••In 1757 — the embargo being still continued upon the fishery in these waters — a petition
was presented to the general court of Massachusetts from the people of Martha's Vineyard and
Xantucket. representing that the memorialists 'being Informed that your Honours think it not
advisable to Permit the fishermen to Sail on their Voyages until the time limited by the Embargo
is Expired by lieasou that their fishing banks where they Usually proceed on said Voyages lyes
Eastward not far from Cape bretou which may be a means of their falling into the hands of the freuch
which may be of bad Consequence to the Common Cause. Your Memorialists would Humbly observe
to Your Honours that that is not the Case with the whalemen their procedure on their Voyages is
Westward of the Cape of Virginia, and southward of that until the mouth of June from which Your
Memorialists are of the mind their is nothing like the Danger of their falling into the hands of the
<'ape bretou Privateers as would be If they went Eastward. Your Memorialists would further
Observe that the whalemen have almost double the Number of hands that the fishermen Carry
which makes Their Charge almost, Double to that of fishermen and ye first part of the Whale
,-eason is Always Esteemed the Principal time for their making their Voyages which If they lose
the greatest part of the People will have nothing to Purchase the Necessaries of life withal they
h.ivcing no other way which must make them in miserable Situation. Your memorialists would
therefore beg that yr Honours would take Our Miserable Situation under Consideration and grant
our Whalemen liberty lo Proceed on Our Voyages from this time If it be Consistent with your
(ireat wisdom as in duty bound shall every prayj
" 'JOHN NORTON (for Martha's Vineyard)
u 'ABISHAI FOLGER (for Nantucket)'
"In compliance with the foregoing petition the council passed this resolution (April 8, 1758):
•Inasmuch as the Inhabitants of Xantucket most of whom are Quakers are by Law exempted
from Impresses for military Sen ice. And their Livelihood intirely depends on the Whale fishery—
"•Hist, of Massachusetts, ii. p. .1IH'."
"t A duty was laid upon the eoloni.sts m l?:,i; to support a, frigate on the Banks to defend the fislu
" t Mass. Col. MSS., M. -nil inn- yi, p. :',71. From this pet it ion p]ie:<r that, having an unfavorable season
at the soitthwatd, the, whalemen \\ otild stand lor Hi t.o till there. If, however, a \ easel got home early
from the nut-Hi, t ln-\ frequent ly went mi another voyage 10 the so n Hi and west \\ aril in I lie same year.''
104 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Advised that his Escelly give permission for all whaling Vessclls belong5 to sa Ild to pursue their
Voyages, taking only the Inht8 of sd Island in sd Vessells and that upon their taking any other
persons whatsoever with them they be subject to all the Penalties of the law in like manner as if
they had proceeded without Leave.'"
THE GULF OF SAINT LAWKENCE AND STRAITS OF BELLEISLE FISHERY. — "In 1761 the
fishery of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Straits of Bellisle was opened to our whalemen,
and they speedily availed themselves of its wealth. This was the legitimate result of the conquest
of Canada and the cession of territory made by France to England at the conclusion of the war,
a result which the colonists had labored hard and spent lives and treasure unstintedly to attain,
but of the benefit of which they were destined to be defrauded. A duty was levied on all oil and
bone carried to England from the colonies, and by another oppressive act of Parliament they
were not allowed to find for this product any other market. The discrimination between the
plantations and the mother country was made the more marked .since at this time the residents of
Great Britain were allowed a bounty from which he provincials were debarred. Against these
injustices the merchants of New England, and these of London engaged in colonial trade, respect-
fully petitioned. They represented that 'in the Tear 1701 The Province of Massachusetts Bay,
fitted out from Boston & other portst Ten Vessels of from Seventy to Ninety Tous Burden for
this Purpose. That the Success of these was such as to encourage the Sending out of fifty Vessels
in the Year 1762 for the same trade. That in the Year 17(J3 more than Eighty Vessels were
imploy'd iu the same niauner.f That they haTe already imported to London upwards of 40 Ton
of Whale Finn: being the produce of the two first years. That upon Entring of the above Finn,
a Duty was required and paid upon it, of thirty one Pound ten shillings V Ton. That the
weight of this Duty was remlei'd much heavier by the great reduction made in the price of Dutch
Bone since the commencement of this trade from £500 to £330 ¥ Ton.' They represent further
that the reason for the conferring of bounties upon vessels in this pursuit from Great Britain was
tn rival the Dutch, $ but in spite of this encouragement there was not enough oil and bone
brought into England by British vessels to supply the demand. They also reasoned that Parlia-
ment could not intentionally discriminate between the various subjects of the Crown, granting
•• M:i.-s. Col. MSS., Maritime, vi, p. 371. Martha's Vineyard appears to be ignored in the order."
"t As already explained, Boston was the port of entry for many of the Cape towns and its own immediate vicinity."
" t According to the following doggerel there were seventy-five whaling captains sailing from Nautucket iu ITli:!:
Whale-List, lij Tlwmas Wcrtli, J/. 1763.
Out of Nantucket their's Whalemen seventy-five,
But two poor Worths among thorn doth survive :
Their is two Ranisdills & their's Woodbury's two,
Two Ways there is, chnse which one pleaseth you,
Folgers thirteen, & Barnards there are four
Bunkers their is three & Jenkinses no more,
Gardners their is seven, Husseys their are two,
Pinkhams their is five and a poor Delano,
Myricks there is three & Coffins there are six,
Swaius their arc four and one blue gaily Fitch.
One Chadwick, Cogshall, Colemau their's but one,
Brown, Baxter, two & Paddacks there is three,
Wyer, Stanton, Starbuek, Moorse is ftmr you see,
But if for a Voyage I was to choose a Stauton,
I would leave Sammy out & choose Ben Stratton.
And not forget that Eocott is alive,
And that long-crotch makes up the seventy -five.
This is answering to the list, you see,
Made up in seventeen hundred & sixty-three."
" § The Dutch from 1759 to 1768 sent to the Greenland fishery 1,:5'24 ships, which took 3,018 whales, producing 146,419
barrels of oil and 8,785,140 pounds of bone. (Scoresby.) Great Britain in the same time sent about one-third the
number <>f ships."
TlIE WHALE FISIIKIIV.
105
to one a bounty and requiring of another a duty for (lie same service. They, however, ask for no
bounty — they are content that Great Britain should alone receive the benefit of that — but they
simply desire that they should not be taxed with ;i duty on these imports."*
ENGLISH BOUNTY ABOLISHED.— "The knowledge that the English fishery, even with its
bounty, was still unable to fully cope with the Dutch, or even to supply its own home demand, as
well as the desire of Earl Grenville to forward certain projects in his American policy, notably the
odious stamp tax, caused some attention to be paid to petitions similar to the foregoing, fortified
somewhat by the presence of a special agent from Massachusetts to sustain the position and urge
the claims there made. To various sections various tenders were to be made. 'The boon that
was to mollify Now England,' says Bancroft,! 'was concerted with Israel Mauclit, acting for bis
brother, the agent of Massachusetts, and was nothing less than the whale-fishery. Great Britain
had sought to compete with the Dutch in that branch of industry ; had fostered it by bounties ;
had relaxed even the act of navigation, so as to invite even the Dutch to engage in it from British
ports iu British shipping. But it was all in vain. Grenville gave up the unsuccessful attempt,
and sought a rival for Uolland in British America, which had hitherto lain under the double dis-
couragement of being excluded from the benefit of a bounty, | and of having the products of its
whale-fishing taxed unequally. He now adopted the plan of gradually giving up the bounty to
the British whale fishery, which would be a saving of £30,000 a year to the treasury, and of reliev-
ing the American fishery from the inequality of the discriminating duty, except the old subsidy,
which was scarcely 1 per cent. This is the most liberal act of Grenville's administration, of which
t lie merit is not diminished by the fact that the American whale-fishery was superseding the English
under every discouragement. It required liberality to accept this result as inevitable, and to
favor it. It was doue, too, with a distinct conviction that 'the American whale-fishery, freed from
its burden, would soon totally overpower the British.' So this valuable branch of trade, which
produced annually 3,000 pounds, and which would give employment to many shipwrights and
other artificers, and to three thousand seamen, was resigned to America."
EFFECTS OF WAR. — "With the people of Nantacket every foreign war meant a diminution
of their whaling fleet, for there is scarcely any risk that whalemen have not and will not run in
pursuit of their prey. During the years 1755 and 1756 six of their vessels had been lost at sea
and six more were taken by the French and burned, together with their cargoes, while the crews
'• * Ma«. Col. MSS., Maritime, vol. vii, p. 243. Tbe coacludiiig portion of this petition, including tbe signatures, is
missing, a fact, greatly to bo regretted, as it would be extremely interesting to know who tbe prominent oil-merchants
of tbat time were. The following is the statement of imports of oil ami bone from the colonies into England and
from Holland to the same country, which accompanied the petition:
Account of Finim <f- Oil from America to England cf- Duties from Christmas 1758 to Christmas 1763.
Year
Fins.
Whale-oil.
Duty, America.
Duty, London.
Duty, America.
Duty, London.
1758 to 1759 .
T. Owl. Lbs.
17 0 17
£ «. d.
11 0 0
£ s. d.
10 14 0
T. H. 0.
3 245 2 28
£. s. d.
1 898 13 8
£ s. d.
1 436 3 8
1760 .
18 2 9
28 10 6
27 10 4
2 595 1 14
1 518 5 1
1 148 8 5
1761
27 0 8
42 2 6
40 10 0
3 126 3 31
1 829 4 5
1 383 12 10
1762
335 2 5
522 3 10
502 5 0
2 483 2 39
] 452 18 9
1 090 0 4
1763
1 546 3 13
2 427 5 3
2 315 9 4
5 030 0 1°
2 942 11 7
2 225 15 11
Total
1 985 0 24
3 Oil 10 1
2 896 15 2
16 481 1 16
9 641 13 0
7, 293 1 2
t Bancroft's United States, v, p. 184.
t The bounty of 174b had evidently been legislated out of existence.
106 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
were carried away into captivity. In 1760 another vessel was captured by a French privateer of
twelve guns and released after the commander of the privateer hud put on board of her the crew
of a sloop they had previously taken nearly full of oil and burned. The captain of the sloop, -
Luce, had sailed with three others who were expected on the coast. The day after Luce was taken
the privateer engaged a Bermudian letter of marque and was beaten. During this engagement
several whalemen in the vicinity made their escape. In the same month (June) another privateer
of fourteen guns took several whaling vessels, one of which was ransomed for $400, all the prison-
ers put on board of her, and she landed them at Newport.* In 17G2 another Nautucket sloop was
taken by a privateer from the French West Indies, under one MODS. Palanqna, while she was
cruising in the vicinity of the Leeward Islands.''
MARTHA'S VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET WHALERS. — "At Martha's Vineyard whaling did
not seem to thrive so well as at the sister island of Nantucket. The very situation of Nantucket
seemed favorable for the development of this and kindred pursuits; in fact, the situation made
them necessities. While the Vineyard was quite fertile and of considerable extent, Nautucket
was comparatively sterile and circumscribed. At the Vineyard a livelihood could be attained
from tilling the earth, at Nantticket a large portion of that which sustained life must be wrested
from the ocean. A constant struggle with nature, ami a constant surmounting of those obstacles
incident to their lo.-ation and surroundings, developed within the Nantucketois a spirit of adventure
which was carefully trained into channels of enterprise and usefulness. Hence, the early history
of whaling on Martha's Vineyard was not that ultimate success that it was on Nantucket, and
while the year 1775 found the latter with a fleet of 150 vessels with a burden of 15,000 tons, the
former at the same period could count but 12 vessels and an aggregate of 720 tons.
" In 1752 Mr. John Newman and Timothy Coffin built a vessel of 75 tons, but she was also
destined to a brief existence. On her second voyage whaling she was captured near the Grand
Bauks'by the French, and Captain Coffin, her commander, lost his life, his vessel, and his cargo.
In the same year (1752) John Norton, esq., with others, purchased a vessel of 55 tons for the
carrying on of this business, and. like her contemporary, she failed to survive her second voyage,
but was cast away on the coast of Carolina, Capt. Christopher Beetle being at the time in command.
Mr. Norton immediately chartered a vessel to get his own off, but on their arrival on Carolina,
his vessel was gone, with her sails, rigging, and appurtenances, and he out of pocket a further
sum of $500 to the wrecking party. Eight years later (1760), Esquire Norton, with others, built
the sloop Polly, 65 tons burden. On her third whaling trip to the southward she too was lost,
and by her destruction perished Nicholas Butler, her captain, and thirteen men. Repeated losses
had reduced Norton to somewhat straitened circumstances, and, selling what property he had
left, he removed to Connecticnl, where, he died.
"It is impossible to separate in the accounts of whaling at this time the share which Boston
took in it from that taken by other ports. The reports which may be found in the current papers
rarely gave the name of the port to which entering or clearing vessels belonged. In fact the
majority of the reports are. merely records of accidents, and it is very rarely indeed that the
amount cf oil taken by returning whalers is given.
"lu 1762 a whaling .schooner, commanded by - - Bickford, was totally lost on Seil (?)
Islands. The crew, fourteen in number, were taken off by a fishing vessel."
LONG- ISLAND WHALERS. — "Of the Long Island fishery the only record accessible is the
meager one regarding Sag Harbor. Easthampton, Southampton, and (heir more immediate neigh-
bors seem to have been supplanted by this younger town.t Probably prior to 1760 vessels had
"* These vessels were from several whaling ports." " t Sag Harbor was Settled in 1730."
THK WII.\U<; FISHERY. 107
been fitted for whaling from tliis port : il so, their ident ilical ion is iinpossilile. In 1760, however,
tlnve sloops were lilted out by Joseph Conkling, John Foster, and others. They were named Good-
luck, Dolphin, and Success, ami their cruising ground was in the vicinity of 36° north latitude."
RHODK ISLAND AVII AI.KIIS. — "The reports regarding 1,'liode Island are equally meager.
Occasional reports are to lie [bund of the arrivals of whaling-vessels. Imt no report of where they
cruised or what success they met with, and no records exist at the custom-house to help clear up
the historical mist. Warren comes into notice at this period as quite a thriving whaling-port.
The Boston News Letter of October :_'.'!, 17G(i. says : - Severa.l Vessels employed in the Whale Fish-
ery, from the industrious Town of Warren in Rhode Island Colony, have lately returned, having
met with considerable success. One Vessel, which went as far as the Western Islands, brought
home upwards of 300 Barrels of Uil. Some Vessels from Newport have also been tolerably success-
ful. This Business, which seems to be. carried on with Spirit, bids fair to be of great Utility to
that Government." "
VIRGINIA WHALERS. — " Williamsburgh, Va., felt the stimulus caused by success in this busi-
ness ; and in the early spring of 1751 several gentlemen subscribed a sum of money and fitted out
a small sloop, called the Experiment, for whaling along the southern coast. On the 9th of May,
1751, she returned with a valuable whale, This was the first vessel ever fitted for this pursuit
from Virginia, and whether she continued for any length of time in the business is unknown. The
encouragement of the first success undoubtedly caused another venture."
BEGINNING OF WHALING INDUSTRY AT NEW BEDFORD. — " In the vicinity of New Bedford
whaling probably commenced but little prior to 1760. In that year William Wood, of Dartmouth,
sold to Elnathan Eldredge, of the same town, a certain tract of land, located within the present
town of Fairhaven, and within three-quarters of a mile of the center of the town, on the banks of
the Acushnet Eiver, ' Always Excepting and reserving ***** that part of the same
where the Try house and Oyl shed now stands.' How long these buildings had been standing at
the date of this deed is unknown, but the fact of their being there then is indisputable, and, as it
was not the habit in those days to put up useless buildings, they were undoubtedly applied to the
purpose for which they were built. That they were considered valuable property is evident from
the fact of their being reserved, lu 1765, four sloops, the Nancy, Polly, Greyhound, and Hannah,
owned by Joseph Russell, Caleb Russell, and William Talluian, and from 40 to 60 tons burden,
were employed in the whale fishery.* lu Ricketsou's ' History of New Bedford' is published a
portion of a log-book of the whaling-sloop Betsey, of Dartmouth, in 1761. The early portion is
missing, the first date commencing July 27. These small vessels usually sailed in pairs, and, so
long as they kept in company, the blubber of the captured whales was divided equally between
them. Hence the reports, in which the captains' names are always given instead of the names of
the vessels, which rarely occur, often return the vessels in pairs, with fine same quantity of oil to
each. The following are a few extracts from this journal as published : ' August 2d, 1761. Lat.
l.Vi4, long. .">.;. .J7 Saw two sperm-whales; killed one. — Aug. 6th. Spoke with John Clasbery ;
he had got 105 bbls.; told us Seth Folger had got 150 bbls. Spoke with two Nantucket men;
•• • Kic ki-iscui's llisiriry <n' NYw Bedford, p. :>-. Mr. Ricketson .says: 'To Joseph Russell, the founder of New Bed-
lord, is also attributed the limior of b(ring the pioneer of the whale-fishery of New Bedford. It is well authenticated
by ihe statements of several rot ••mporaries, lately deceased, that Joseph Russell had pursued the business as early as
the year l?r.r>.' From what particular portion of the then town of Dartmouth (which also included what is now known
as New Bedford, and Fairhaveu) lie titled out his vessels, is uncertain. At that time the land on which stands the
<-ity of New Bedford was unpopulated by the whites, and not a single house marked the spot where, within less tlian
a century thereafter, stands the city from which w.is lit red out more whaling-vessels than from all the other American
ports combined."
108 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
they had got one whale between them; hey told that Jenkius & Dunham had got four whales
between them, and Allen & Pease had got 2 whales between them. Lat. 42.57.— Sunday, August
9th. Saw sperm-whales ; struck two, and killed them between us, (naming their escort). — August
10th. Cut up our blubber into casks; tilled 35 hhds. ; our partner filled 33 hhds. Judged our-
selves to be not far from the Banks. Finished stowing the hold. — August 20. Lat. 44 deg. 2 min.
This morning spoke with Thomas Gibbs ; had got 110 bbls ; told us he had spoke with John Aikin,
and Ephraim Delano, and Thomas Nye. They had got no oil at all. Sounded ; got no bottom.
Thomas Gibbs told us we were but two leagues off the Bank.' The Betsey probably arrived home
about the middle of September. In 1762 she apparently made another voyage, though the jour-
nal up to the 2d of September is missing. On that date they spoke ' Shubel Bunker and Benja-
min Paddock.' On the 3d of September they ' Knocked down try- works.'* Ou the 15th they spoke
Henry Folger and Nathan Coffin."
RESTRICTIONS TO AMERICANS WHALING IN GULP OF ST. LAWRENCE. — "About this time
a new element entered into antagonism with colonial whaling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and
vicinity. Scarcely had the colonists aided to wrest this fishery from the French, when the English
governors, in their turn, strove to keep our vessels from enjoying its benefits. lu the News-Letter
of August 8, 1765, is the following statement : ' Tuesday one of the sloops which has been on the
Whaling Business returned here. We hear that the Vessels employed in the Whale Fishery from
this and the neighbouring Maritime Towns,t amounting to near 100 Sail, have beeu very successful
this Season in the Gulph of St. Lawrence and Streigths of Belle isle; having, tis said, already made
upwards of 9,000 Barrels of Oil.' But this rosy-colored report was speedily followed by another of
a more somber hue. In August 22, the same paper says : 'Accounts received from several of our
Whaling Vessels on the Labrador Coast, are, that they meet with Difficulties in regard to their
fishiug, in Consequence of Orders from the Commanding Officers on that Station, a Copy of which
are as follows :
"'MEMORANDUM: In Pursuance of the Governor's Directions, all masters of Whaling Vessels,
and others whom it may concern, are hereby most strictly required to observe the following Par-
ticulars, viz :
"'1 To carry the useless Parts of such Whales as they may catch to at least Three Leagues
from the Shore, to prevent the Damage that the neighbouring Fishers for Cod and Seal sustain
by their being left on the Shore.
'"2 Not to carry any Passengers from Newfoundland or the Labrador^ Coast to any Part of
the Plantations.
" '3 To leave the Coast by the first of November at farthest.
'"4 Not to fish in any of the Ports or Coasts of Newfoundland lying between Point Richi and
Cape Bonavista.
'"5 Not to carry on any Trade or have any Intercourse with the French on any Pretence.
" * In other words, took them down. From this it is evident that some vessels were prepared for trying out their
oil on hoard.
"The News-Letter of July 26, 1764, states that one Jonathan Negers, of Dartmouth, while whaling, was so injured
by a whale's striking the hoat that he died a few days after."
" t It is impossible to apportion the vessels among their proper ports. The vessels from Cape Cod and the north-
ward cleared at Boston ; those from the Vineyard, at Nautucket ; those at Dartmouth, sometimes at Nantiickefc :md
sometimes at Newport."
TIIK WIIAI, i: I'ISIIEI;V. 109
'"6 IH all your Dealings with the Indians to treat Iliem with the greatest Civility: observing
not to Impose on their Ignorance, or to take Advantage of their Necessities. You arc also ou no
Account to serve them with spirituous Liquors.
'"7 Not to iish lor any other than Whale on this Coast.
'"Dated on hoard His Majesty's sloop Zephyr, at the Isle of Bois, on the Labradore Coast,
the L'lst July, 17<i:>.
'"JODN HAMILTON.'
''The issue of November 18 reports that on account of this proclamation the vessels 'are
returning halt' loaded.' It was the custom with many early whalemen, especially from the imme-
diate vicinity nf Koston, to go prepared for either cod or whale fishing, and in the event of the
failure of the one to have recourse to the otln r. All restrictions which arc sustained by an armed
force are liable to be made especially obnoxious by the manner of the enforcement, and this was
no means a contrary case, [t was not at all surprising, then, that the ensuing season's fishing was
only a repetition of the failure of that of 17(i.">. 'Since our last,' says the News Letter, 'several
Vessels are ret.urned from the Whaling Business, who have not only had very bad Success, but
also have been ill-treated by some of the Cruisers ou the Labradore Coast.' Two ships had been
fitted out from London, the Palliser and the Labradore, for the express purpose of trading, fishing,
and whaling ou the coast of Labrador and in the straits of Belle Isle. Capt. Charles Penn, who
came out in them as pilot, left the straits on the 9th of July on his way to Newfoundland. Ou his
passage he went on board quite a numl:er of whaling-vessels, and reported that they had met with
very poor success; had got only about twenty whales in the entire fleet. In consequence of this
failure some of them had, according to the time-honored practice, gone to fishing for cod, but had
been interrupted by an armed vessel and by the 'company's ships' (the Palliser and Labradore),
and their catch all taken away from them save what "their actual necessities required. This was
done under the pretense that the whole coast was patented to 'the company,' and by virtue of
orders issued by Hugh Palliser, 'governor of Newfoundland, Anticosti, Magdalenes, and Lab-
radore.' Palliser's proclamation, which bore date of April 3, 1766, specified that all British
subjects whaling in that vicinity should choose places on shore where they should laud, cut up
their blubber, and make oil as they arrived, but not to select anyplace which was used in the
cod-fishery. Whalemen from, the plantation s might take whales on those coasts, but were only
permitted to land on some unoccupied place within the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to cut up and try
out their blubber; and it was particularly specified that they were not to make use of any place
which was used by the British fishermen for the same or a similar purpose. Complaint having
been made of the provincial whalemen in regard to their waste interfering with the cod fishery,
they were enjoined that they must carry the carcasses of the whales at least three leagues from
the shore. No fishermen from the plantations were to be allowed to winter on Labrador. And
then Capt. John Hamilton, 'of H. M. sloop of war Merlin, Lieut. Gov. of Labradore,' &c., issued
his proclamation: 'This is to give Notice to all Whalers from the Plantations, that they are
allowed to fish for Whales only, on the Coast of Labradore, that if they are found to have any
other Fish on Board, the Fish will be seized, and they excluded the Benefit of Whale-fishery Hi is
season ; and on no Pretence to trade with the Indians ; whatever they shall purchase will be con
fiscated, and after this Notice their Vessels liable to be seized,' &c. Captain Hamilton's decree
bore the date of June. 25, 1766.
"The result of these arbitrary measures was that the whalemen left those seas and went off
the Banks. The close of the season witnessed the return of the whaling fleet with bur indifferent
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES.
success.* Naturally those interested (and this included the wealthiest merchants and the most
skillful mechanics, as well as the most indefatigable mariners) felt aggrieved. It seemed scarcely
in consonance with the colonial ideas of justice, crude as those notions appeared to the English
nobility, that the beneficial results of a conquest which they almost single-handed had made, and
for defraying the expense of which England had declined any remuneration, should be diverted
to the sole benefit of those alone who were residents of the British Isles. Merchants iu London,
too, whose heaviest and most profitable trade was with the provinces, joined their voices in
denouncing this wrong. During the early winter the report came that Palliser's regulations were
suspended until the ministry aud Parliament had time to consider the subject. The matter had
already, late in the last whaliug season, been brought to the attention of the governor of New-
foundland, and he issued the following supplementary edict, which appeared in the Boston papers
of January, 1767:
" ' By His Excellency Hugh Palliser, Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Island
of Newfoundland, the Coast of Labradore and all the Territories dependent thereupon :
"< "Whereas a great many Vessels from His Majesty's Plantations employed in the Whale-
Fishery resort to that Part of the Gulph of St. Lawrence and the Coast of Labradore which is
within this Government : and as I have been informed that some Apprehensions have arisen
amongst them that by the Eegulatious made by me relating to the different Fisheries in those
Parts, they are wholly precluded from that Coast :
'"Notice is hereby given, That the King's officers stationed iu those Parts have always had
my Orders to protect, assist aud encourage by every Means in their Power, all Vessels from the
Plantations employed in the Whale-Fishery, coming within this Government; and, pursuant to
his Majesty's Orders to me, all Vessels from the Plantations will be admitted to that Coast on the
same Footing as they have ever been admitted in Newfoundland ; the ancient Practices and Cus-
toms established in Newfoundland respecting the Cod Fishery, under the Act of Parliament
passed in the 10 and llth Years of William Hid commonly called The Fishing Act, always to be
observed. t
'• • And by my Regulations for the Encouragement of the Whale Fisheries, they are also under
certain necessary Eestrictions therein prescribed, permitted to land and cut up their Whales in
Labradore; this is a Liberty that has never been allowed them iu Newfoundland, because of the
Danger of prejudicing the Cod-Fishery carried on by our adventurer's Ships, and by Boat-Keepers
from Britain, lawfully qualified with Fishing-Certificates accordiu g to the aforementioned Act,
who are fitted out at a very great Bisque and Expence in complying with said Act, therefore they
must not be liable to have their Voyages overthrown, or rendered precarious by any Means, or by
any other Vessels whatever. And, Whereas great Numbers of the Whaling Crews arriving from
the Plantations on the Coast of Labradore early in the Spring considering it as a lawless Country
are guilty of all Sorts of Outrages before the Arrival of the King's Ships, plundering whoever they
" * The Boston News-Letter mentions the arrival of Capt, Peter Wells at that port from whaling August 18, 1766.
Under date of October 2, the News- Letter s.iys : ' Since our last a Number of Vessels have arrived from Whaling. They
have not been successful gem-rally. One "I' them viz: Capt. Clark on Thursday Morning last discovering a Sperma-
ecl i Whale near George's Banks, manu'd his Uout, and gave Chase to her, & she coming up with her jaws against the
r-ow of the Boat struck it with such Violence that it threw a Son of the Captain ; (who was forward ready with his
Lauce) a considerable Height from the ISi.ut. and when he fell the Whale turned with her devouring Jaws opened,
and caught him. He was heard to scream, when she closed her Jaws, and part of his Body was seen ont of her Mouth,
\\ hen she turned, and went off.' "
" t Duties on oil imported iu British ships were remitted, the commander and one-third of each crew being British.
Duties were also remitted on fat, furs, and tusks of seal, bear, walrus, or other marine animal taken in the Greenland
seas. By other acts the imported materials to be used in outfitting were made non-dutiable, and bounties were estab-
lished, amounting in the final aggregate to 40s. per ton."
THK WIIAU<; H SQERY. Ill
find on the Const too weak to resist them, obstructing our Ship Adventurers from I'.ritain by sundry
Ways, banking amongst I heir Boats along tlic (.'oast, which ruins the Coast-Fishery, and is contrary
to the most ancient and most strictly observed li'ule <>f the Fishery, and must not be suffered on
Account; also by destroying tbeir Fishing-Works on Shore, stealing their Boats, Tackle and
t'tensils, firing the Woods all along the Coast, and hunting for and plundering, taking away or
murdering the poor Indian Natives of the Country ; by these Violences, Barbarities, and other
notorious Grimes and Enormities, that Coast is in the utmost Confusion, and with respect to the
Indians is kept in a State of War. For preventing these Practices in future Notice is hereby given,
That the King's Officers stationed in those Parts, are authorized and strictly directed, to appre-
hend all such Offenders within this (Joveruinent, and to bring them to me to be tried for the same
at the General Assizes at this Place: And for the better Government of that Country, for regulat-
ing the Fisheries, and for protect ing His Majesty's Subjects from Insults from the Indians, I have
His Majesty's Commands to erred Block-Houses, and establish Guards along that Coast. This
Notification is to be put in the Harbours in Labradore, within my Government, and through the
Favour of His Excellency Goveruour Bernard, Copies thereof will be put up in the Ports withiu
the Province of Massachusetts, where the "Whalers mostly belong for their Information before the
next Fishing Season.
" ' Given under my Hand at St. John's in Newfoundland, this First Day of August, 1766.
" < HUGH PALLISEE.
" ' By Order of His Excellency,
'"JN°. HOESNAILL.'
" There can scarcely be a doubt but that the indiscretions of the whalemen were much magni-
fied (if indeed they really existed) in this pronunciameuto of Governor Palliser, for the sake of
bolstering up the former one. The •whalemen of those days were far from being the set of graceless
scamps which he represents them to be. Probably there was here and there a renegade. It would
be quite impossible to fiud iu so large a number of men that all were strict observers of the laws.
Self-preservation, if no more humane motive existed, militated against the acts of "which he
complained. The whalemen were accustomed to visit the coast for supplies, in many cases several
times a year; usually on their arrival iu those parts they stood in for some portion of the coast
and ' wooded;' and it is hardly credible that they should wantonly destroy the stores they so much
needed, or make enemies on a coast where they might at any time be compelled to land. The
colonial governors quite often made the resources under their control a source of revenue for
themselves, and the fact of the modification of Palliser's first proclamation only under pressure of
the King and Parliament would seem to indicate personal interest in keeping whalemen from the
colonies away from the territory under his control.
"It is quite evident that even with this modification the colonial fishermen did not feel that
confidence in the Saint Lawrence and Belle Isle fishery that they felt when it was first opened to
them, for a report from Charleston, S. C., dated June 19, 17C7, states that on 'the 22d ultimo put
in here a sloop belonging to Rhode Island, from a whaling voyage in 1 he southern latitudes, having
proved successful about ten clays before. The master informs us that near fifty New England
vessels have been on the whale fishery in the same latitudes this season by way of experiment.'*
Over the open sea fortune-seeking governors could exercise no control, and there our seamen
probably felt they could pursue their game without let or hindrance. Whales at that time
abounded along the edge of the Gulf Stream, and there they continued to be found for some years,
1 * UoMon News-Letter."
112 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
shiftng their ground gradually as their fierce captors encroached more and more upon them to the
vicinity of the Western and Leeward Islands, the Cape deVerdes, the Brazil Banks, and beyond.
Some few whalemen, in spite of the restrictions, still visited the newly-opened fishing-ground.
"The general results of the various voyages were on the whole good, and other places began
to feel the stimulus of a desire to compete. Providence took part, and early in 1768 several vessels
were fitted out from that port for this pursuit. New York, too, entered the lists, and Mr. Robert
Murray and the Messrs. Franklin fitted a sloop for the same purpose, and she sailed on the 19th
of April of that year.* The town of Newport manifested great activity.
"It was currently reported in the colonies, during the early part of 1767, that the irksome
restrictions upon whaling were to be entirely removed; petitions to tbat efl'ect had been presented
to the home government, and a favorable result was hoped for, and early in 1768 the straits of
Davis and Belle Isle were again vexed by the keels of our fishermen, as many as fifty or sixty
anchoring in Canso Harbor in April of that year, a few of them bound for the former locality, but
the majority of them cruising in the vicinity of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Newfoundland, t
Two whaling sloops from Nantucket, one commanded by — Coleman, and the other by
Coffin, were lost this season in the Straits of Belle Isle, and the crews were saved by Captain
Hamilton, of the Merlin sloop of war, who also aided them in saving the sails, rigging, and stores
from the wrecks. The fisbery in those parts was quite unsuccessful, many vessels, up to the last
of August, having taken little or no oil.f
"In 1768 there sailed from Nautucket eighty sail of vessels of an average burden of 75 tons,
and probably fully as many more from other ports — Cape Cod, Dartmouth, Boston, Providence,
Newport, Warren, Falmouth (Cape Cod), and perhaps other ports being represented — and the
voyages being undertaken to Davis Strait, straits of Belle Isle, Grand Banks, Gulf of Saint Law-
rence, and Western Islands. Early in the season the Western Island fleet appears to bave done
little, but by the middle of September they had obtained an average of about 165 barrels. The
northern fleet probably did nearly as well, as numerous instances occur of vessels spoken late in
the summer and in the early fall with from 100 to 150 and even as high as 200 barrels. Assuming,
tbeu, that one hundred and forty vessels returned with an average produce of 150 barrels (which
was the actual average import at Nantucket), and we have as the result of the season's fishing
1*1.000 barrels, worth, at £18 per ton, the ruling price, £47,200, or about $236,000."
PROSPERITY OF WHALE FISHERY, 1770 TO 1775. — "'Between the years 1770 and 1775,'
says Macy, 'the whaling business increased to an extent hitherto unparalleled. In 1770 there
" * There seems to be no accessible report of this vessel's return, and hence the degree of success or failure of her
voyage is a matter of doubt. The people of Nantucket were reported to have made £70,000 iu 1767."
" t From a log-book kept by Isaiah Eldredge, of the sloop Tryall, of Dartmouth, which sailed April 25, 1768, for the
si i :iits of Belle Isle. She cleared from Nantucket, as Dartmouth was not then a port of entry. On Friday, April 29,
.sin- was at anchor iu Canso Harbor, with fifty or sixty other whalemen. Saturday, Way 7, left Crow Harbor and at
night anchored in Man-of- War Cove, Canso Gut, ' with about sixty sail of whalemen.' The vessels were continually
beset with ice, and on the 23d of May they cleared their decks of snow, which was ' almost over shoes deep.' They
killed their first whale on the 22d of July. The larger number of vessels were spoken in pairs, which was the usual
manner of cruising. The sloop returned to Dartmouth on the 5th of November. This log runs to 1775, and commences
;i<_;;iin in 1783, ending in 1797, with occasional breaks where leaves are cut out."
" t In October, 1767, a whaling sloop, belonging to Nautucket, arrived at the bar off that port, on board of which
were four Indians, who had had some dispute at sea and agreed to si'ttlr. it on their return. As the vessel lay at
anchor the officers and crew — except three white men and these ludiaus — went ashore. The whites being asleep in
the cabin, the Indians went on deck, divided into two parties, and, arming themselves with whaling lances, com-
menced the affray. The two on one side were killed immediately, the other two were unhurt. The white men
hearing the affray, rushed upon deck, and, seeing what was done, secured the murderers. In November of the same
year some Newburyport fishermen were astounded at perceiving their vessel hurried through the water at an alarming
rate without the aid of sails. Upon investigating the cause, it was found that the anchor was fast to a whale (or vice
versa), and the cable was cut, relieving them of their unsolicited propelling power. — (Boston News-Letter.;"
Tin; \YIIALK FISIIKKY. 113
\\ere a little more than one hundred vessels engaged ; and in 1775 the number exceeded one
hundred and fifty, some of them large brigs. The employment of so great and such an increasing
capital may lead our readers to suppose that a, corresponding profit, was realized, but a careful
examination of the circumstances under which the business was carried on will sbow the fallacy of
such a conclusion. Many branches of labor were conducted by those who were immediately
interested in the voyages. The young men, with few exceptions, were brought up to some trade
necessary to the business. The rope-maker, the cooper, the blacksmith, the carpenter — in flue,
I lie workmen were either the ship-owners or of their household ; so were often the officers and men
\\ho navigated the vessels and killed the whales. 'While a ship was at sea, the owners at home
were busily employed in the manufacture of casks, iron work, cordage, blocks, and other articles
for the succeeding voyage. Thus the. profits of the labor were enjoyed by those interested in the
fishery, and voyages were rendered advantageous even when the oil obtained was barely sufficient
to pay the outfits, estimating the labor as a part thereof. This mode of conducting the business
was universal, and has continued to a very considerable extent to the present day [1835]. Experi-
ence taught the people how to take advantage of the different markets for their oil. Their sperma-
ccti oil was mostly sent to England in its uuseparated state, the head matter being generally
mixed with the body oil, for in the early part of whaling it would bring no more when separated
than when mixed. The whale oil, which is the kind procured from the species called ' right whales,'
was shipped to Boston or elsewhere in the colonies, and there sold for country consumption, or
sent to the West Indies.'*"
DEPREDATIONS BY PRIVATEERS AND PIRATES. — " The seas continued to be infested with
French and Spanish privateers and pirates,f and whalemen, especially those frequenting the ocean
in the vicinity of the Western Islands, were, from the very nature of their employment, constantly
liable to depredations from these corsairs, whether legalized or lawless. In March, 1771, the sloop
Neptune, Captain Nixon, arrived in Newport from the Mole, bringing with him portions of the crews
of three Dartmouth w7halemeu, who had been taken on the south side of Hispaniola by a Spanish
guarda coasta. These vessels were commanded by Capts. Silas Butler, William Roberts, and
Richard Welding. Another whaling vessel, belonging to Martha's Vineyard, commanded by
Ephraim Pease, was also taken at about the same time, but released in order to put on board of her
the remaining prisoners.- At this time Pease had taken 200 barrels of oil, and the Dartmouth ves-
sels, which were carried into Saint Domingo, 100 barrels. These captures were made on the llth
of February 4
" But it did not always happen that whalemen fell so easy a prey to predatory vessels. A
little strategy sometimes availed them when a forcible resistance would have been outof the ques-
" "Bancroft says (Hist. U. S., v, p. -.'I ;:>), in 17(i5 the colonists were not allowed to export tbe chief products of their
industry, such as sugar, tobacco, cotton, wool, indigo, ginger, dyeing-woods, whaleboue, &c., to any place but Great
liritain — not even to Ireland. Save in the matter of salt, wines, victuals, horses, and servants, Great Britain was
not only the sole market for the products of Amei -ic-a, but the only storehouse for its supplies.
" This stringency must, however, have been somewhat relaxed as regardu oil, for the Boston News-Letter of Septem-
ber .-'. 1768, gives the report from London, dated July l:t, that the whale and cod fisheries of New England ' this
season promised to turn out extrenn : i .•igeuiis, many ships fully laden having already been sent to the Medi-
terranean markets.' Tin- snecess of the Americans seems to have again aroused the jealousy of their English brethren,
for in this year an effort was made in Parliament to revive, the bounty to English whalemen, with the intent to weaken
tbe American fishery."
"t'lhe word • pirate ' seems to have been in those days of ;> Minn-wlial ambiguous signification, and was quite as
likely to mean a privateer as a corsair."
" { The men who eame home with Captain Nixon were Oli\ er 1'riee, Pardon Slocuui, and 1'hilip Harkins.— (Boston
News-Letter.)"
SEC. V, VOL,. II 8
114 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
tion, and it may be easily believed that men to whom danger and hairbreadth escapes were part
of their every-day life would scarcely submit supinely when there was any chance in their favor.
A notable instance of this kind occurred in April, 1771. Two ISTantucket whaling sloops, com-
manded respectively by Isaiah Chadwick and Obed Bunker, were lying at anchor in the harbor of
Abaco, when a ship appeared off the mouth of the harbor with her signals set for assistance.
With that readiness to aid distressed shipmates which has ever been a distinguishing trait of
American whalemen, one of the captains with a boat's crew made np of men from each sloop
hastened to render such help as was in their power. The vessel's side reached, the captain imme-
diately boarded her to find what was desired, and much to his surprise had a pistol presented to
his head by the officer in command with a peremptory demand that he should pilot the ship into
the harbor. He assured the commander that he was a stranger there, but that there was a man
in his boat who was acquainted with the port. The man was called and persuaded in the same
manner in which the captain had been. The argument used to demonstrate the prudence of his
compliance with the request being so entirely unanswerable the man performed the service, anchor-
ing the ship where a point of laud lay between her and the sloops. This being done the boat was
dismissed and the men returned to their vessels. The Nantucket captains now held a consultation
as to what course should be pursued. Those who had been on board the ship noticed that the
men seemed to be all armed. They also observed, walking alone in the cabin, a man. The con-
clusion arrived at was that the ship was in the hands of pirates and the man in the cabin was the
former captain, and measures were immediately inaugurated to secure the vessel and crew. To
this end an invitation was extended to the usurping captain, his officers, and passengers to dine on
board one of the sloops. The courtesy was accepted, and the pirate captain and his boatswain,
with the displaced captain as representative of the passengers, repaired on board the sloop. After
a short time he became uneasy, and proposed to return to his own vessel, but he was seized by the
whalemen and bound fast and his intentions frustrated. The actual captain now explained the
situation, which was that the ship sailed from Bristol (R. I. !) to the coast of Africa, from thence
carried a cargo of slaves to the West Indies, and was on her return home with a cargo of sugar
when the mutiny occurred, it being the intention of the mutineers to become pirates, a business at
that time quite thrifty and promising. Our fishermen now told the boatswain that if he would go
on board the ship and bring the former mate, who was in irons, and aid in recapturing the vessel,
they would endeavor to have him cleared from the penalties of the law, and they prudently inti-
mated to him that there was a man-of-war within two hours' sail from which they could obtain
force enough to overpower his associates. As a further act of prudence, they told him they would
set a certain signal when they had secured help from the ship of war.
" The boatswain not returning according to the agreement made, one sloop weighed anchor
and stood toward the pirate ship as though t > pass on one side of her. As she approached, the
mutineers shifted their guns over to the side which it seemed apparent she would pass and trained
them so as to sink her as she sailed by. But those who navigated the sloop were fully alive to
these purposes, and as she neared the ship her course was suddenly changed and she swept by on
the other side and was out of range of the guns before the buccaneers could recover from their
surprise and reshift and retrain their cannon. On the sloop stood upon her course till they were
out of sight of the ship, then tacking, the signal agreed with the boatswain was set and she was
steered boldly for the corsair. As she hove in sight, the pirates, recognizing the sign, and believ-
ing an armed force from the man-of-war was on board the whaling vessel, fled precipitately to the
shore, where they were speedily apprehended on their character being known. Tue whalemen
THE WHALE Fisni<:i;y. 115
immediately boarded their prize, released the mate, and carried the ship to New Providence, where
a bounty of $2,500 was allowed them for the capture and where the chief of the mutineers was
hanged."*
SUPERIOR SEAMANSHIP OF AMERICAN WHALEMEN. — "About this time Dr. Benjamin
Franklin, being in London, was questioned, by the merchants there respecting the difference in
time between the voyages of the merchantmen to Rhode Island and the English packets to New-
York. The variation, which was something like fourteen days, was a source of much annoyance
to the English merchants, and believing the place of destination might have something to do with
it, they seriously contemplated withdrawing the packets from New York and dispatching them to
Rhode Island. In this dilemma they consulted Dr. Franklin. A Nantucket captain, named Fol-
ger,t who was a relative of the doctor's, being then in London, Franklin sought his opinion.
Captain Folger told him that the merchantmen were commanded by men from Rhode Island who
were acquainted with the Gulf Stream and the effect of its currents, and in the passage to America
made use of this knowledge. Of this the English captains were ignorant, not from lack of repeated
warnings, for they had been often told that they were stemming a current which was running at
the rate of 3 miles an hour, and that if the wind was light the stream would set them back
faster than the breeze would send them ahead, but they were too wise to be advised by simple
American fishermen, and so persevered in their own course at a loss of from two to three weeks on
every trip. By Franklin's request, Captain Folger made a sketch of the stream, with directions
how to use or avoid its currents, and this sketch, made over a century ago, is substantially the same
as is found on charts of the present day. ' The Nantucket whalemen,' says Franklin,! ' being
extremely well acquainted with the Gulph Stream, its course, strength, and extent, by their con-
stant practice of whaling on the edges of it from their island quite down to the Bahamas, this draft
of that stream was obtained of one of them, Captain Folger, and caused to be engraved on the old
chart in London for the benefit of navigators by B. Franklin.'
"Notwithstanding this information so kindly volunteered to them, and notwithstanding the
fact that the Falinouth captains were furnished with the new charts, they still persisted in sailing
their old course. There is a point where perseverance degenerates into something more ignoble ;
it would seem as though at this date these self-sufficient captains had about attained that point."
Loss OF AMERICAN WHALING VESSELS. — "In 1772 two whaling sloops from Nantucket,
with 150 barrels of oil each, were captured by a Spanish brig and sloop off Matanzas.§ In Decem-
ber of the same year, the brig Leviathan, Lathrop, sailed from Rhode Island for the Brazil Banks
on a whaling voyage. On the 25th of January they lowered for whales, and in the chase the
mate's boat (Brotherton Daggett) lost sight of the brig, but the crew were picked up at sea and
brought home by another vessel.
"In 1773 quite a fleet of American whalers were on the coast of Africa, no less than fourteen
being reported as coming from that ground, and probably there were as many more of whom no
" * Boston News-Letter."
' ' t Works of Franklin, iii, p. 353. Probably Capt. Timothy Folger, a man -who was prominent for many years in
the history of Nautucket."
" t Works of Franklin, iii, p. 364. In a note Franklin says : ' The Nantucket captains, who are acquainted with
this stream, make their voyages from England to Boston in as short a time generally as others take in going from
Boston to England, viz, from twenty to thirty days.' Quite a number of Boston packets to and from England were
at this time and for many years after commanded by Nantucket men."
" $ In May, 1770, according to the Boston News-Letter, no less than nineteen vessels cleared from Rhode Island,
whaling. The Post-Boy for October 1-1. 1771, U responsible for the following: 'We learn from Edgartown that a
vessel lately arrived there from a whaling voyage, and in her voyage, one Marshall Jeukins, with others, being in a
boat which struck a whale, she turned and hit I he boat in two, took Jenkins in her mouth, and went down with him;
but on her rising threw him into one part of tho boat, whence he was taken on board the vessel by the crew, being
much bruised, and in a fon r lie perfectly recovered. This account we have from undoubted authority.'"
116
II1STOKY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
report was made. Oue brig- from Boston, while off the coast of Sierra Leone, seut. a boat ashore
with six men to procure water. The boat was seized and the crew all massacred by the natives.
lu the spring- of the following year a sloop owned by Gideon Almy, of Tiverton, and another belong-
ing to Boston, were seized, while watering at Hispaniola, by a French frigate, carried into Port an
Prince and there condemned.*
" In 1774 a report came by the way of Fayal that a small American whaling brig was lying in
the harbor of Rio Janeiro with only her captain and three men on board. It appears that, putting
in there for refreshments,! in the summer of 1773, a portion of her crew were, 'by fair or foul
means,' induced to ship on a Portuguese snow f for a three months' whaling voyage. The snow
was provided with harpoons and other whaling craft, made after the English models, and was
cruising for sperm whales, a business altogether new to the Portuguese, who had been hitherto
ignorant of any but the right whale, and had never ventured even in the pursuit of them out of
sight of laud. The brig still lay there in October, 1773, waiting the return of her meu.§ "
CONDITION OF THE FISHERY AT OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. — " In 1774 the
whale fishery in the' colonies must have been in the full tide of success. There were probably fitted
out annually at this time no less than 300 vessels of various kinds, with an aggregate bnrdeu of
nearly 33,000 tons, and employing directly about 4,700 men, and indirectly an immensely greater
number. Despite the depredations of French and Spanish privateers the fishery continued to
flourish. The annual production from 1771 to 1775 was probably at least 45,000 barrels of sperma-
ceti oil and 8,500 barrels of right-whale oil, and of bone nearly or quite 75,000 pounds. || Jn the
" * Boston News-Letter."
" t Some vessels never dropped anchor iu a port from the day they sailed until iheir return ; but scurvy was very
apt to manifest itself where a crew was so long deprived of fresh provisions."
" t ' A suow is a vessel equipped with two masts resembling the main and foremasts of a Ship, and a third small
mast, abaft the mainmast, carrying a trysail. These vessels were much used in the merchant service at the time of
the Revolution.' (Lossing's Field Book, ii, p. *4ii, note.) "
" « Boston Ne-ws-Letter.''
"\\Stateof the wliaJe fishery in
/K, 1771 t<> 17/:>.
Ports.
nually lor north-
em fishery.
mii'll
01
Vo
•JO
1
's litlril an-
\ (''irMHitli-
1,11110
2, 000
120
<Tii]iloyi'il,
2, ii-:.
1,040
i r.i;
20
260
52
Sperm oil
taken an-
nually.
Whale oil
taken an-
nu.illy.
60
1
12
15
4,500
75
150
1.300
300
300
Barrels.
26,000
•_', -2M
7, 2M>
200
900
240
1,800
400
400
1 turrets.
4,(lllll
1,250
i. mil
100
300
Martha's Vim
5
7(111
GOO
Fakaonii (1 ' ipi CodJ
183
13,820
121
14, 020
4,059
39, 390
7,650
"The.-e statistics are from Jefferson's report, and \\civ gallicred fur him 1>\ i;i.\ i-rnur of Massachusetts.
"According to Pit kin, among the exports of the colonies, including Newfoundland. IJali.-iinas, and Bermudas, were,
for the year 1770 :
Great
Britain.
Ireland.
South of
Europe.
West
Illllirs
Africa.
Total.
1 sir.
450
14, 1B7
351.C25
7,905
379, 012
•"» "0"
0;.
175
5 667
11° 971
112, SI7I
" Value, sterling : Spe.rm caudles, £:j:y W8 4s. 6.?. ; whale oil, £83,012 15s. !W. ; bone, £19,121 Is. d."
\\IIAI.I: KISIIKI;,Y. 117
. anous sea-port towns 1'ioin which tliis pursuit was carried mi, in Nantuckel, \\ 'ellllccl, Dartmouth,
ijyiui, Martha's Vineyard, Karnstable, Boston, Falmouth, and Sivanzey, in Mass.ichusctts, in New-
port, Providence, Warren, and Tiveiton, in Khode Island, in New London, Connecticut, Sag Harbor,
on Long Island, the merry din of tho'yo heave ho 'of the sailors was heard; the ring of the
blacksmith's hammer and anvil made, cheery music : the coopers, with their hammers and drivers,
kept time to the tramp of their feet as round and round the- casks they marched, tightening more
and more the bands that bound together the vessels \\hieh should hold the precious oil; and the
creaking of the blocks as the vessels unloaded their freight or the riggers fitted them anew for
fresh conquests, and the rattle of the hurrying- teams as the> carried oil' the product of the last
voyage or brought the necessaries for the future one, lent their portion of animation to the scene.
Everywhere was hurry and bustle; everywhere all were employed; none that thirsted for employ-
merit went away unsatisfied. If a vessel made a bad voyage, the owners, by no means dispirited,
again fitted her out, trusting iu the next one to retrieve the loss; if she made a profitable one the
proceeds were treasured up to offset a possible failure in some future cruise. On all sides were
thrift and happiness.
"But a change was near. 'A cloud, at first no bigger than a man's hand,' was beginning to
overshadow the whole heaven of their commercial prosperity. The colonies, driven to desperation
by the heartless cruelty of their mother country, prepared to stay further aggression, and resent
at the mouth of the cannon and the point of the bayonet the insults and injuries that for a decade
of years had been heaped upon them ; and the English ministry, against the earnest entreaty of
British merchants on both sides of the Atlantic, prepared also to enforce its desires by a resort to
arms.*
"The first industry to feel the shock of the approaching storm was the fisheries. Massachu-
setts, the center of this pursuit, was to the English ministers the very focus of the insurrectionary
talk and action, and 'the first step,' says Bancroft, 'toward inspiring terror was to declare Massa-
chusetts in a state of rebellion, and to pledge the Parliament and the whole force of Great Britain
to its reduction ; the next, by prohibiting the American fisheries, to starve New England ; the
next, to excite a servile insurrection.'!
" Accordingly on the l()th of February, 1775, the ministry introduced into Parliament a bill
restricting the trade and commerce of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and
IMiode Island to Great Britain, Ireland, and the British West Indies, and prohibiting the colonies
from carrying on any fishery on the Banks of Newfoundland or any other part of the North
American coast, j ' The best ship-builders iu the world were at Boston, and their yards had been
closed; the New England fishermen were now to be restrained from a toil in which they excelled
the world. Thus the joint right to the fisheries was made a part cf the great American struggle.'§
To this bill there was a small but active and determined opposition, both in the House of Lords
and House of Commons. It was urged on the part of the ministry that the fisheries were the
property of England, and it was with the English Government to do as they pleased with them.
To this opinion the minority strenuously demurred. 'God and nature,' said Johnston, ' have
given that fishery to New England and not to Old.' || It was also argued by the friends of Amer-
ica that if the American fishery was destroyed the occupation must inevitably fall into the hands
of the natural rivals of Great Britain. Despite the efforts of the little band the bill was received
"* The colonial trade had become tn i. • :ish. merchants and manufacturers a matter of great importance, and
the loss of it would be a serious misfortune. One nf the industries which would fee] the deprivation most strongly
was the manufacture of cordage, of which the Americans \veiv liy i |>nrc!i:isers in the Kn^lir-h marUet.'1
" t Bancroft's United states, vii. |.. 222, Februai " t Ei)g. Annual Keg., 1?7.">, p. 78."
" $ Bancroft's United States, vii, p. WJ." '• \\ lliid."
] 18 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
by a vote of 261 to 85, and passed through its various stages. As each phase was reached the
act was fought determinedly but uselessly and hopelessly. The merchants and traders of London
petitioned against it, and the American merchants secured the services of David Barclay to con-
duct the examination of those who were called to testify by the friends and opponents of the bill.*
'It was said that the cruelty of the bill exceeded the examples of hostile rigor with avowed
enemies ; that in all the violence of our most dangerous wars it was an established rule in the
marine service to spare the coast-fishing craft of our declared enemies ; always considering that
we waged war with nations, and not with private individuals.'!
" It was claimed that by the provisions of the bill much hardship must fall upon many people
who were already at sea, and who, from the very nature of their occupations, must be innocent.
' The case of the inhabitants of Nantucket was particularly hard. This extraordinary people,
amounting to between five and six thousand in number, nine-tenths of whom are Quakers, inhabit
a barren island, 15 miles long by 3 broad, the products of which were scarcely capable of
maintaining twenty families. From the only harbor which this sterile island contains, with-
out natural products of any sort, the inhabitants, by an astonishing industry, keep an 140 vessels
in constant employment. Of these, eight were employed in the importation of provisions for the
island and the rest in the whale fishery.' A petition was also presented from the English Quakers
in behalf of their brethren at Nantucket, in which they stated the innocence of the inhabitants
of that island, ' their industry, the utility of their labors both to themselves and the community,
the great hazards that attended their occupation, and the uncertainty of their gains ; and showed
that if the bill passed into a law, they must in a little time be exposed to all the dreadful miseries
of famine. The singular state and circumstances of these people, occasioned some attention to be
paid to them. A gentleman on the side of the administration said, that on a principle of humanity
he would move that a clause should be added to the bill to prevent the operation from extending
to any whale ships which sailed before the 1st of March, and were at that time the property of
the people of Nantucket.' f
" ' The bill,' says a reviewer of the time, ' was attacked on every ground of policy and govern-
ment ; and with the greatest strength of language and height of coloring. The minority made
amends for the smallness of their numbers by their zeal and activity. * * * Evil principles,'
they contended, ' were prolific; the Boston port bill begot this New England bill 5 this will beget
a Virginia bill; and that again will become the progenitor of others, until, one by one, Parliament
has ruined all its colonies, and rooted up all its commerce ; until the statute book becomes nothing
but a black and bloody role of proscriptions ; a frightful code of rigor and tyranny; a monstrous
digest of acts of penalty and incapacity and general attainder ; and that wherever it is opened it
will present a title for destroying some trade or ruining some province.' §
" It was during the debate upon this bill that Burke made that eloquent defense of the colonies
which has rung in the ears of every boy born or bred in a sea-port town since the day it was uttered.
" * Among the evidence given was much tending to show the importance of the colonial trade. It appeared that
in 17G4 New England employed in the fisheries 45,880 tons of shipping and 6,002 men, the product amounting to
£322,220 16«. 3<i. sterling in foreign markets; that all the materials used in the building and equipping of vessels,
excepting salt and lumber, were drawn from England, and the net proceeds were also remitted to that country ;
that neither the whale nor cod fishery could be carried on so successfully from Newfoundland or Great Britain as
from North America, for the natural advantages of America could neither be counteracted nor supplied ; that, if the
fishery was transferred to Nova Scotia or Quebec, Government would have to furnish the capital, for they had neither
vessels nor men, and these must come from New England ; that it must take time to make the change, and the trade
would inevitably be lost ; and that American fishermen had such an aversion to the military government of Halifax,
and ' so invincible an aversion to the loose habits and manners of the people, that nothing could induce them to
remove thither, even supposing them reduced to the necessity of emigration.' — (Eng. Annual Reg.)"
"tEng. Annual Reg., 1775, p. 80." "iTbid., p. 85." "$Ibid., p 85."
TIIK \\IIALK K1SIIKUY. 119
'For some time past, Mr. Speaker,1 .said Burke, 'lias the Old \Vorld been fed from the New. The
scarcity which you have felt would have been a desolating famine, if this ehild of your old age —
if America — with a true filial piety, with a lloman charity, had iiofc put the full breast of its
youthful exuberance to the mouth of its exhausted parent. Turning from the agricultural resources
of the colonies, consider the wealth which they have drawn from the sea by their fisheries. The
spirit in which that enterprising employment has been exercised ought to raise your esteem and
admiration. Pray, sir, what in the world is equal to it? Pass by the other parts, and look at
the manner in which the people of New England have of late carried on the whale fishery. Whilst
we follow them among the tumbling mountains of ice, and behold them penetrating into the
deepest frozen recesses of Hudson's Bay and Davis' Straits, whilst we are looking for them
beneath the Arctic Circle, we hear that they have pierced into the opposite region of polar cold,
that they are at the antipodes, and engaged under the frozen serpent of the south. Falkland
Island, which seemed too remote and romantic an object for the grasp of national ambition, is but,
a slage and resting-place in the progress of their victorious industry.* Nor is the equinoctial
heat more discouraging to them than the accumulated winter of both the poles. We know that
whilst some of them draw the line and strike the harpoon on the coast of Africa, others run the
longitude, and pursue their gigantic game along the coast of Brazil. No sea but what is vexed
by their fisheries. No climate that is not a witness to their toils. Neither the perseverance of
Holland, nor the activity of France, nor the dexterous and firm sagacity of English enterprise,
ever carried this most perilous mode of hardy industry to the extent to which it has been pushed
by this recent people ; a people who are still, as it were, but in the gristle, and not yet hardened
into the bone, of manhood. When I contemplate these things ; when I know that the colonies
in general owe little or nothing to any care of ours, and that they are not squeezed into this happy
form by the constraints of a watchful and suspicious Government, but that, through a wise and
salutary neglect, a generous nature has been suffered to take her own way to perfection ; when I
reflect upon these effects, when I see how profitable they have been to us, I feel all the pride of
power sink, and all presumption in the wisdom of human contrivances melt, and die away within
me. My rigor relents. I pardon something to the spirit of liberty.'
"But eloquence, logic, arguments, facts availed nothing. The bill became a law. In the
upper house of Parliament, where a minority fought the bill as determinedly as the minor part of
the Commons, fifteen lords entered a protest against it. The island of Nantucket was, for the
reasons enumerated, relieved somewhat from its extreinest features, a fact which did not escape
the surveillance of the provincial authorities, who iu their turn restricted the exportation of pro-
visions from any portion of the colonies, save the Massachusetts Bay, to that island, and the
Provincial Congress of Massachusetts further prohibited any exportation from that colony, save
under certain regulations.! But, like the mother country, the colonies yielded to the behests of
humanity and relaxed their stringency in regard to this island.
"At an early day after the formal opening of the issue of battle between England and the
plantations, the general court of Massachusetts passed a resolve, directing ' that from and after
the fifteenth Day of August instant, no Ship or Vessell should sail out of any port in this Colony,
on any whaling Voyage whatever, without leave first had and obtained from the Great and General
" "At this time the Falkland Islands were the subject of considerable acrimony between the English, Spanish, and
Brazilian Governments. According to Freeman (Hist. Cape Cod, ii, p. 539, note), the people of Truro were the first
of our American -whalemen to go to the Falklands. In 1774 Capts. David Smith and Gamaliel Collins, at the sug-
gestion of Admiral Montague, of the British navy, made voyages there qn that pursuit, in which they were very
successful."
"t Mass. Col. JISS., Provincial Congress, i, p. 300."
120 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Court of this Colony, or I'roin some Committee or committees or persons they shall appoint, to
grant such leave;' and on the 24th of August, the day for adjournment of the court being near
at hand, it was further resolved, in view of possible damage liable to aeerue to parties for want of
these permits, 'that the Major part of the Council for this Colony be, and they accordingly are,
hereby fully impowered to grant leave for any Vessell or Vessells to sail out of any port in this
Colony, on any whaling Voyage whatever, as to them shall seem fit & reasonable for the Benefit
of Individuals, and the Good of the Public, provided there be good & sufficient security given
that the Oil & Bone, &c., obtained on said Voyage shall be brought into some Port in this Colony,
except the port of Boston, & such Permits do riot interfere with any Resolve or Recommendations
of the Continental Congress — The power herein given to continue only in the recess of the general
court.'*"
THE DEATH-KNELL OF AMERICAN WHALING.— "The bells that called the hardy yeomanry
of New England to the defense of their imperiled liberties on the ever-memorable morning of the
19th of April rung the death-knell of the whale fishery, save that carried on from Nautucket; the
rattle of musketry was the funeral volley over its grave. t Save from this solitary island, it was
doomed to annihilation. A few vessels were fitted out early in the war from other ports, but the
risk was so great and the necessity so small that the business was soon abandoned. With Nan-
tucket it was simply a- case of desperation; the business must be carried on, or the island must be
depopulated; starvation or removal were the only alternatives of inaction. The receipt of the
news of the battle at Lexington and Concord, glorious as it was to the colonies at large, and
glorious as it may have been to the islanders whose religious principles were not rigidly opposed
to war in any form and under any circumstances, was to the majority of the inhabitants the
announcement of ruined fortunes, annihilated commerce, misery, privation, and suffering. With-
out the immediate circle of colonial assistance, knowing that they were cut ofl' from aid in case
they were attacked, open to and defenseless at all sides from the predatory raids of avowed
enemies and treacherous, pretended friends, the only course left open to them to adopt was to be
as void of offense as possible and strive to live through the desperate struggle just about to com-
mence. Some of the people removed to New York and eventually established the whale fishery
there. Some removed to North Carolina and there formed a community remarkable for thrift and
hospitality; but the vast majority preferred to link their fortunes with those of their island home,
and with her sink or swim. Vessels from abroad turned their prows toward home and speeded on
their way, hoping to attain their port before English armed vessels could intercept them; those
already arrived were most of them stripped of their sails and rigging and moored to the crowded
wharves, or run high and dry ashore.
"The petitions of parties for permission to fit out their vessels for whaling were almost
invariably complied with by the general court, bonds being given in about £2,000 that the cargo
should be landed at some port in the colony, excepting Boston or Nautucket.|
""Mass. Col. MSS. Rev. Council 1'apcrs, series i, vol. ii, p. 17."
"tThe shipping of Nantueket rendered important ante-revolutionary aid to the colonists in the. importation of
powder, a service that was continued at intervals during the war. The Earl of Dartmouth, in a letter to Lienteuaut-
Governor Colden, dated 7th September, 1774, says: ' My Information says that the 1'olly, Capt" I'e.ujamiu Broadhelp,
bound from Amsterdam to Nantucket, has among other Articles received on board, no le.ss a quantity than tbree
Hundred thousand pounds weight of Gunpowder, & I have great reason to believe ili.il considerable quantities of
that commodity, as well as other Military Stores, are introduced into the Colonies from Holland, through the channel
of St. Eustatia.' (N. Y. Col. Rec., viii, p. 4d7.) St. Eustatia was captured by the English during the colonial war,
the chief grounds of the capture' being tbe alleged supply to the revolting colonies of contraband goods."
"t The following is the form of tbe bond :
•' 'Know all men by these presents il.at Nathaniel Macy & Eichd Mitchell Jr both of Sherhurn in the County of
Nantiieket, are liolden A Maud lirinly hound unto Henry Gardner Esq of Stowe in the County of Middlesex Treasurer
TIII<; \YII.\U: nsiiKi.-Y. 121
"In ITTiillic Continental Congress endeavored to induct- France to engage in war against
Kiighind, lint in tin- proposed negotiations the fisheries on I IK- lianks of Newfoundland and the
various Cult's and hays of North America were to lie understood as not open to a question of
division. Spain, too, was applied to. 'The colonies,' says Bancroft, ' were willing to assure to
Spain freedom from molestation in its territories; they renounced in iavor of France iill eventual
conquests in the West Indies ; imt they claimed the sole right of acquiring' British continental
America and all adjacent islands, including the Bermudas, Cape Breton, and Newfoundland. It
was America and not France which first applied the maxim of monopoly to the fisheries. The
King of France might retain his exclusive rights on the banks of Newfoundland, as recognized
by England in the treaty of 170.!, but his subjects were not to fish "in the havens, bays, creeks,
roads, coasts, or places," which the United States were to win.'" *
THE ENGLISH WHALE FISHERY ENCOURAGED.—" In the mean time how was England
affected by her American policy? The colonial fishery being abolished, it became essential that
something should be done to replace it, 'and particularly to guard against the ruinous conse-
quences of the foreign markets, either changing the course of consumption or falling into the
hands of strangers, and those perhaps inimical to this country. The consumption of fish oil as a
substitute for tallow was now become so extensive as to render that also an object of great
national concern ; the city of London alone expending about £300,000 annually in that coin -
modity.'t The evidence taken on behalf of the ministry in support of their restraining bill,
tending to show that there already existed sufficient capital in ships, men, and money for the
immediate and safe transfer of the whale fishery to England, while well enough for partisan pur-
poses, was not considered so reliable by the parties bringing it forward, and the Government was
not at all desirous or willing to risk a matter of such extreme importance upon the testimony
there given.
'• Measures were accordingly taken to give encouragement to this pursuit to the fishermen
and capitalists of Great Britain and Ireland. | The committee having the subject in charge were
of the opinion that a bounty should extend to the fisheries to the southward of Greenland and
Davis Strait, and at the same time that the, duties on oil, blubber, and bone, imported from
Newfoundland, should be taken off. It was found that the restraining bill worked serious
damage to the people of Newfoundland, and also to the fisheries from the British islands to that
coast, as, in order to prevent absolute famine there, it was necessary that several ships should
return light from that vicinity in order to carry cargoes of provisions from Ireland to the sufferers
there.§
iif tliu Colony of the Massachusetts Bay or his Successors in s'1 office in the L;i.\vfnl & Just sum of Two thousand
pounds to the which payment well & truly to be made wr liiml ourselves i>nr Heirs Exec7 or Administrators, firmly
liy these presents sealed wtb our seal Dated Ihis fourteenth 0;i i Anno ]>o:n : 17?."'.
" ' The Condition of this obligation is such that whereas i he abo\ e-said Nalbauiel Jhicy is about to Adventure to
sea "ii a \\li.-ile Voya Sooner Dighton Silas Paddaek Master— if I hen (lies'1 Silas Tail-loek oraiiy other person
who may have I he (' mand of s'1 sehooner Dighton, during s'1 Voyage -diall well & truly bring or Cause to be
brought into some port or harbour of this Colony e.\eept the port of Huston or Nantncket ail the oil & whalo
M.ine that shall be taken by S'1 schooner Dightou in the Ci.nrse of sl1 Voyage A: pioihu-e a Certifieate under tho
hands of the Selectmen of S'1 Town Adjoining to such port or barlnmr t hat he there Landed ye same then the above
Obligation to lie. Void A of none Effect, oil in -\\ ;i\ s ro stand and remain in full force it. virtue.
" -NA'P'- MATY.
" 'KICI11' JJITCHELI,, .In.
'• • Signed. Sealed. ,t did in presence of us.'
••('.
'•(Mass. Col. MSS. Mis,-., iii. p. |J4.)
"The colonial papers of March 28, 1770, mention that the English frigate hVnown, on her passage to America, took
ten sail of American whalemen, wbidi n,<I toavoid the danger of recapture."
"• Bancroft's U. S., ix, ],. 132." " 1 Eng. \m 1 Reg., 177.-,, p. 113."
"t Speech oflhe Ka rl of Ha reont to the Irish Parliament , (><•(, .bei In. 177.,." " * Annual Reg., 177(i, p. 131."
122 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
" The English fishery, even under the encouragement given, did not, however, answer the
expectations or hopes of its friends. It was not so easily transferred as had been imagined. A
few more vessels sailed from Great Britain, employing, of course, a few more men, but the extra
supply was a mere trifle in comparison to the deficiency that the restraining bill had caused."
RETALIATION BY THE AMERICAN COLONIES. — " The colonies, in turn, passed a bill cutting
off supplies to the English fleet from the plantations,* a course entirely unforseen by the sage
adherents of the British bill. As a natural consequence, the fishery, which promised so well on
paper, and upon which the majority in Parliament had founded so many hopes, failed to yield
them the solace for the evil done to America that they so fondly anticipated. Many ships, instead
of bearing to England supplies, only returned there for provisions to relieve the distress they
found on the coast, both on the sea and the land. Indeed, it was estimated that the colonial
restraining act caused a loss to England in the fishery in these parts alone of fully half a million
of pounds sterling.! To add to the calamities caused by man, the very eleiiii-iits seemed combined
against them, for a terrible storm arose, a"nd the center of its fury was the shores and banks of
Newfoundland. ' This awful wreck of nature,' says a chronicler of the time, ' was as singular in
its circumstances as fatal iu its effects. The sea is said to have risen 30 feet almost instanta-
neously. Above seven hundred boats, with their people, perished, and several ships, with their
crews. Nor was the mischief much less on the land, the waves overpassing all mounds, and sweep-
ing everything before them. The shores presented a shocking spectacle for some time after, and
the fishing-nets were hauled up loaded with human bodies.'! These misfortunes the opposers of
the bill attributed to the vengeance of an indignant Providence."
AMERICAN SEAMEN " IMPRESSED." — " But Parliament went further than this, and added to
the atrocity of this measure another none the less barbarous. It was decreed that all those
prisoners who should be taken on board of American vessels should be compelled, without distinc-
tion of rank, to serve as common sailors on British ships of war. This proposed measure was
received with great indignation by those gentlemen iu Parliament whom partisan asperity had not
blinded to every feeling of justice to or compassion for the colonies. This clause in the bill which
contained this provision was ' marked by every possible .stigma,' and was described by the lords,
in their protest, as ' a refinement in tyranny' which, 'in a sentence worse than death, obliges the
unhappy men who shall be made captives in this predatory war to bear arms against their families,
kindred, friends, and country ; and after being plundered themselves, to become accomplices in
plundering their brethren.'§ And, by the articles of war, these very men were liable to be shot
for desertion."
CONDITION OF ENGLISH WHALE-FISHERY IN 1779. — " By the action of this measure large
numbers of Nantucket whaling captains with their crews and a few from other ports were cap-
tured by the English, and given their choice either to enter the service of the King in a man-of-
war or sail from an English port in the same pursuit to which they had become accustomed.|| In
September (13th), 1779, John Adams, writing from Braintreefl to the council of Massachusets,
says :
" * The ' Restraining ' bill." " t Eng. Annual Reg. , 1776, p. 49."
"{English Annual Reg., 1776, p. 43. There was also much distress at the Barbadoes. It was thought at one time
to draw supplies for beleaguered Boston from these islands, but cut off as they were from supplies from the colonies,
with 80,000 blacks and 20,000 whites to feed, the project was deemed in the highest degree dangerous."
" $ Annual Reg., 1776, p.118."
"II To his captors Capt. Nathan Coffin, of Nantucket, nobly said: ' Hang me, if you will, to the yard-arm of your
ship, but do not ask me to be a traitor to my country.' — (Bancroft, ix, p. 313.)"
" IT Adams, vii, p. 63. This is almost identical with the letter in Mass. Col. MSS., Resolves, vi, p. 216."
THE WHAU<: KISIIKKY. 123
'"May it please your Honours : * While I resided at Paris 1 had an opportunity of procuring
from London exact Information concerning the British Whale Fishery on the Coast of Brazil,
which I beg Leave to communicate to your Honours, that if any advantage can be made of it the
opportunity may not be lost.
" 'The English, the last year and the year before, carried on this Fishery to very great
advantage, off of the River Plate, in South America iu the Latitude Thirty-five south and from
thence to Forty, just on the edge of soundings, off and on, about the Longitude sixty-five, from
London. They had seventeen vessells in this Fishery, which all sailed from London, iu the
Mouths of September and October. All the officers and Men are Americans.
"'The Names of the Captains are, Aaron Sheffield of Newport, - — , Goldsmith! and
Eichard Holmes from Long Island, John Chad wick, Francis May,}: Reuben May,§ John Meader,
Jonathan Header, Elisha Clark, Benjamin Clark, William Bay, Paul Pease, Bunker Fitch,
Reuben Fitch, Zebbeedee Coffin || and another Coffin. - - Delauo,1f Andrew Swain, William
Ray, all of Nantucket, John Lock, Cape Cod ; ** four or five of. these vessels went to Greenland.
The fleet sails to Greenland yearly, the last of February or the Beginning of March. There was
published, the year before last, iu the English Newspapers, and the same Imposture was repeated
last year, and no doubt will be renewed tbis, a Letter from the Lords of Admiralty to Mr. Dennis
De Beralt, in Colman street, informing him that a Convoy should be appointed to the Brazil
Fleet. But this, I had certain Information, was a Forgery calculated mainly to deceive American
Privateers, and that 110 Convoy was appointed, or did go with that Fleet, either last year, or the
year before.
" ' For the Destruction or Captivity of a Fishery so entirely defenceless, for not one of the
Vessells has any arms, a single Frigate or Privateer of Twenty-four, or even of Twenty guns,
would be sufficient. The Beginning of December, would be the best Time to proceed from hence,
because the Frigate would then find tlie Whaling Vessells nearly loaded. The Cargoes of these
Vessells, consisting of Bone and Oyl, will be very valuable, and at least four hundred and fifty of
the best kind of seamen would be taken out of the Hands of the English, and might be gained
into the American service to act against the Enemy. Most of the officers and Men wish well to
this Country, and would gladly be in its service if they could be delivered, from that they are
engaged in. Whenever an English Man of war, or Privateer, has taken an American Vessell,
they have given to the Whalemen among the Crew, by order of Government, their Choice, either
to go on Board a Man of war, and fight against their Country or go into the Whale Fishery.
Such Numbers have chosen the latter as have made up the Crews of these seventeen Vessells.
" ' I thought it my Duty to communicate this Intelligence to your Honours, that if so profit-
able a Branch of Commerce, and so valuable a Nursery of Seamen, can be taken from the English
it may be done. This State has a peculiar Right and Interest to undertake the Enterprise, as
almost the whole fleet belongs to it. I have the Honour to be, with the highest Consideration,
your Honours most obedient & most humble servant
"'JOHN ADAMS.'
" * In 1778 the commissioners (Franklin and Adams) iu Franco wrote to the President of Congress in nearly the
same words, urging the destruction of tin- F.nglish whale fishery on the coast of Brazil and the release of the Ameri-
cans there, who were practically prisoners of war, compelled to aid in supporting the enemy. In the letter of the
commissioners, dated Passy, — — , 1778, Messrs Franklin and Adams write that three whalemen have been taken
by French men-of-war and carried into L'Orient. The crews of these whaling vessels are Americans. — (Works of
John Adams, vii, p. 03.)"
"t William Goldsmith, who sailed from Nantucket for London with a cargo of oil in April, 1775."
" t Francis Macy." " $ Reuben Macy." "|| Zebdiel Coffin."
" IT Abisha D elano (probably.)" " *• From Nantucket. Twenty names are given in this list."
124 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
" This letter was referred to a committee, who reported that a ropy of it should be sent to the
President of the Continental Congress, which report was adopted, and thus Massachusetts let slip
through her fingers the identical golden opportunity which the General Government had neglected
the year before. The suggestions of Mr. Adams, who of all our Revolutionary statesmen seems
most to have understood and appreciated the importance of this industry, were practically disre-
garded.* It is difficult to calculate how much the American whale fishery was affected by this
failure to act on this suggestion of Mr. Adams. Many of these captains and men, and others
catpured at other times during the war, had at its close sailed so long from British ports that the
extraordinary inducements held out by the English, and the depression in their business in the
United States, immediately succeeding the close of the war, operated to transfer to that country
.their skill and, measurably, their capital."
FORAYS BY ENGLISH NAVAL VESSELS: TREATY OF 1778. — "In the years 177S-'79 the
English navy made se\era.l forays upon the sea-coast towns of New England, destroying much
property at Warren, R. I., Dartmouth, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket in Massachusetts.!
Indeed, these predatory raids were frequent throughout the war, and liable to occur at any time,
consequently the unfortunate inhabitants were kept in a continual ferment. During the same
I ime the Government of France was continually intriguing for the exclusive possession of the North
American fisheries. On the (ith of Fein-nary, 1778, a treaty of amity and commerce was arranged
between France and the United States. Upon this point each side was to retain the exclusive
right to its own. The Americans conceded to the French the lights reserved by the treaties of
Utrecht | and Paris,§ even to the French interpretation of them, which were the right to fish upon
the Banks, and the exclusive use of one-half the shores of Newfoundland upon which to dry their
lish.|| In regard to what disposition should be made of that island in case it should be captured,
nothing was said; the sentiment of New England, however, upon that point was unmistakable.
Later in the same year Samuel Adams, in a letter from Philadelphia, wrote: 'I hope we shall
secure to the United Sta'es, Canada, NTova Scotia, Florida, too, and the fishery, by our arms or by
treaty.' He writes further, and every year of the past centurv has borne witness to the soundness
of his views: ' We shall never be on a solid footing till Great Britain cedes to us, or we wrest
from her, what nature designs we should have.' fl
"* Au exception to the general ;i|i;ilhy in iliis respect occurred late in the fall or early in tbe winter of 177(i, when
limits from the Alfred, man-of-war, were sent, ashore, at Canso and destroyed the whaling interest there, burning all
the materials for that industry, tog,-! her with all the oil stores with their <•
"t 'Return of vessels and stores destroyed on Acnshnet River the .~>th of September, 177'-': 8 sail of large vessels,
from 200 to 300 tons, most of them pri/.cs: (J armed vessels, carrying from 10 to Hi nuns; a number of sloops and
sehootiers of inferior si/,e, amouni ing in all to 70, besides whale-boats and other: amongst the prizes were three taken
by Count D'Estaign's fleet ; vili store houses at Bedford, several at McPherson's Wharf, Crans Mills, and Fairhaven ;
these were' filled with very grcal quantities of rum, sugar, molasses, eolt'ee, loliacco. cotton, tea, medicines, gunpow-
der, sail-cloth, cordage. Ac. ; two large rope-walks.
" 'At Falrnouth, in the Vim -\ ai d Sou ml, the 10th of September. 177> : •_' sloops and a schooner taken by the gal-
leys. 1 loaded with staves ; 1 sloop burnt.
'' 'In Old Town Harbor, Martha's Vineyard: 1 brig of 150 tons burden, burnt by the Scorpion; 1 schooner ot 70
tons burden, burnt by ditto; -J.:', whale-boats taken or destroyed ; a quantity of plank taken.
" 'At I lol mes's Hole, Manila's Vines ard : I vessels, with several boats, taken ordest roved : a salt -work destroyed,
and a considerable quant ity of salt I alien.' --(1 ticket. son's New Bedford, p. .'SJ. )
"At Sag Harbor Long Island, property was taken or destroyed to a large amount : Newport suffered greatly ; Nan-
tucket lost twelve or fourteen vessels, oil, stores, &c., to the value of £4,000 sterling. Warren, R. I., suffered during
the war to the extent of l.n;i:i tons of shipping, among them two vessels loaded with oil, and a large amount of other
property . Sag Harbor also lost one or i c vessels by capture."
"i April 11, ICii:;." " § February 10, 1763."
"'II Bancroft's U. S., ix, 481. Tho fact must, be kept in mind that whaling and fishing for cod were both carried
on on nearly the same waters, and often by the same vessels."
"IT Bancroft's U. S., x, 177."
T11K \VIIAI, I'; FISI1URY. HT)
"France also sought the aid of Spain, and that power was give.n to understand that in the linal
treaty of peace between the United Slates and England, they, too, would necessarily have snnie
voice. Vergennes, in October (177S), slated, as the only stipulations which France, would require,
that in the final negotiations Hie treaty of Utrecht must be either wholly continued or entireh
annulled; that she must lie allowed to restore the harbor of Dunkirk ; and that she must be allowed
; the coast of Newfoundland, from Cape I.onavistu t;i Cape St. John, with the exclusive fishery
from Cape Bouavista to Point Uiche.'* By a treaty made, with Spain, April 12, 1779, France
bound herself to attempt the invasion of Great Britain or Ireland, and to share only with Spain
the North American fisheries, in case she succeeded in driving the Finnish from Newfoundland.
"These discussions (as to the terms (o be embraced in the linal treaty of peace) were necessary
pending the question of an alliance with France aiwl Spain against linn-land. When the subject
of frontiers was brought up, France, while yielding all claim to the provinces of Canada and Nova
Scotia, which for years had been hers, joined heartily with Spain in opposing the manifest desire
of the Americans to secure them. Two States persisted in the right and policy of acquiring them,
but Congress, as a body, deferred to the French view of the subject . ' With regard to the fisheries,
of which the interruption formed one of the elements of the war, public law had not yet been
settled.' By the treaty of Utrecht, France agreed not to fish within JO leagues of the coast of
Nova Scotia; and by that of Paris, not to fish within 15 leagues of Cape Breton. Moreover.
New England at the beginning of the. war had, by act of Parliament, been debarred from fishing
on the banks of Newfoundland. * * ' The fishery on the high seas,' so Vergennes expounded
the law of nations, 'is as free as the sea, itself, and it is superfluous to discuss the right of the
Americans to it. But the coast fisheries belong of right to the proprietary of the coast. Therefore
the fisheries on the coasts of Newfoundland, of Nova Scotia, of Canada, belong exclusively to the
Knglish ; and the Americans have no pretensions whatever to share in them.'t In vain the
United States urged that the colonies, almost exclusively, had improved the coast fisheries, and
considered that immemorial and sole improvement was practical acquisition. In vain they insisted
that New England men, and New England money, and New England brains had effected the first
conquest of Cape Breton, and were powerful aids to the subsequent conquest of Nova Scotia and
Canada, and hence they had acquired at least a perpetual joint propriety. To their arguments
Vergenues replied that the conquests were made not for the colonies but for the crown, and when
New England dissolved its allegiance, to that crown she renounced her right to the coast fisheries.
In the end the United States were, obliged to succumb ; they had asked aid from foreign powers,
and they must yield, so far as was practicable, to the demands those powers made. These conces-
sions were a portion of the price of independence.
"A committee! was appointed by Congress to definitely arrange upon what terms the future
treaty of peace with England should be finally consummated, and in February, 1779, they reported
that Spain manifested a disposition to form an alliance with the United States, hence indepen-
dence was an eventual certainty. On the question of lishing they reported that the right should
belong properly to the United States, France, and Great Britain in common. This portion of tin-
report was long under discussion in Congress, and it was finally voted that the common right of
the United States to fish • on the coasts, bays, and banks of Xewfonndland and Gulf of Saint Law-
rence, the Straits of Labrador, and Belle Isle should in no case be given up.' § Under a vote to
"•BancrofVa 1. s . x, p. IM." " t Bancroft's U. S., x, pp.
•'{ (Jimvenifiir Morris, ofNe\1 5Tork; i;iul«-, of Xorlli Carolina ; Wil lii-iHpocui, ol'IS'nv ,lcrsi-\ ; Smniirl Adams, "I
Massachusetts, and Smith, of Virginia. — (Bancroft's U. S., x. p. -'13.)"
"$ Bancroft's U.S..X, p. VJ1:J."
126 HISTOET AND METHODS OF THE FISEERIES.
reconsider this subject on the 24th of March, Richard Henry Lee proposed that the United States
should have the same rights which they enjoyed when subject to Great Britain, which proposition
was carried by the votes of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the four New England States, New York
and the Southern States opposing. New York, under the leadership of Jay and Morris, perempt-
orily declined to insist on this right by treaty, and Morris moved that independence should be the
sole condition of peace. This was declared out of order by the votes of the New England States,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, against the unanimous vote of New York, Maryland, and North
Carolina ; Delaware, Virginia, and South Carolina being equally divided.
" But France had a vital interest in this matter, and the French minister interposed his
influence, and on the 27th of May Congress returned to its original resolve, 'that in no case, by
any treaty of peace, should the common right of fishing be given up.'
" On the 19th of June the equanimity of the French minister was suddenly and rudely disturbed
by Elbridge Gerry, who being from Marblehead, was the steady and persistent champion of the
claims of New England, and who, in the prolonged discussions, always came to the front in defense
of those rights. Entirely unexpectedly, Gerry, avoiding ' a breach of the rules of Congress by a
change in form, moved resolutions, that the United States have a common right with the English
to the fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland, and the other fishing-banks and seas of North
America. The demand was for no more than Yergennes confessed to belong to them by the law
of nations ; and Gerry insisted that unless the right received the guarantee of France, on the
consent of Great Britain, the American minister should not sign any treaty of peace without first
consulting Congress.'* A most stormy and bitter debate ensued. The friends of France resisted
strenuously. Four States declared if the resolution was adopted they should secede. The matter,
however, was somewhat compromised, and the common right of fishing on the Grand Banks
affirmed ; Congress asking for that right the guarantee of France by means of a supplementary
article explanatory of former treaties.
"The French minister became alarmed, and sought an interview with the President of Con-
gress and two other members known to be equally favorably disposed to the policy he represented.
The vigor and zeal with which New England had pressed the matter had disposed them to concede
to the desires of this section. He assured them 'that disunion from the side of New England
\v.-is not to be feared, for its people carried their love of independence even to delirium,' and con-
tinued : ' There would seem to be a wish to break the connection of France with Spain ; but I
think I can say that, if the Americans should have the audacity to force the King of France to
choose between the two alliances, his decision would not be in favor of the United States ; he will
not. certainly expose himself to consume the remaining resources of his Kingdom for many years
only to secure an increase of fortune to a few ship-masters of New England. I shall greatly regret,
on account of the Americans, should Spain enter into war without a convention with them.'
Five hours of discussion failed to induce the members to undertake to change the views of Con-
gress, and a new interview was held on the 12th of July, between Gerard and Congress, in a
committee of the whole. As a final result the question was left to be settled when a treaty of
peace was formally arranged with Great Britain.*
"In the mean time how fared it with the whale fishery? The people of Nantucket, with whom
alone it was still encouraged, though in the face of the most terrible discouragements, were reduced
to the severest straits. To live, they must eat; to eat, they must have provisions ; to obtain pro-
visions, they must give in exchange money or its equivalent; to obtain the exchangeable com-
modity, some business must be pursued. The whale fishery was the only business available to
" 'Baucroft's U. 8., x, pp. 216 to 219."
Tin: WHAM: FISHERY. 127
them. Long practice had made them familiar with it, and a singleness of pursuit had kept them
comparatively ignorant of any other occupation. But the great problem was how to carry it on,
even in the limited way to which, by the destruction of their vessels, they were restricted. If they
sailed under American protection, the English captured and destroyed their vessels and imprisoned
their men ; if they cleared with the sanction of English safeguards, the Americans performed for
them the same kindly offices. Between the upper and the nether millstones of war they were quite
ground to powder. In their extremity they learned that the English were inclined to be lenient
toward them in the matter, and they had quite reliable assurance that the leading men of the
American Government looked compassionately upon the distressed situation of the unfortunate
islanders.
"Influenced by these considerations, the inhabitants sent Timothy Folger, esq., to New York,
to represent the condition they were in, and solicit permission to carry on whaling without danger
of capture from British cruisers. They asked permits for twenty fishing boats to fish around the
island, for four vessels to be employed in the whale fishery, for ten small vessels to supply the
inhabitants with wood, and for one to go to New York for some fe\v supplies not obtainable else-
where.* Their petition was not so successful as they had wished."
AMERICAN VESSELS GRANTED PERMITS FOR TVHALING. — "In 1781 Admiral Digby succeeded
Admiral Arbuthnot in the command of the English fleet in these waters, and permission to whale
was asked of him,t and permits were issued for twenty-four vessels to pursue the business
unmolested by English armed cruisers.^ 'This privilege,' says Macy, 'seemed to give new life
to the people. It produced a considerable movement in business, but the resources of the island
had so diminished that but a small number of vessels could take the benefit of these permits.
Those who had vessels, and were possessed of the means, fitted them out on short voyages, and,
had there been no hindrance, it is probable that they would have done well ; for the whales,
""Maey, ll:i."
•• t Mr. Macy gives us to understand that no permits were granted, but this must be an error; for Mr. Rotch (vide
MS.X who was one of the committee the succeeding year to obtain grants from the English, mentions an accusation
made by Commodore Affleck, of abuse of confidence in regard to the permits which were granted the year before, and
that scarcely a vessel could bo found but had one of these documents. To this Mr. Rotch replied: 'Commodore
Affleck, thou hast been greatly imposed upon in this matter. I dtfy Capt. to make such a declaration to my
face. Those Permits were put into my hands. I delivered them, taking receipts for each, to be returned to me at
the cud of the voyage, and an obligation that no transfer should be made or copies given. I received back all the
Permits except two before I left home, anil should probably have received those two on the day that I sailed. Now
if any duplicity has been practiced, I am the person who is accountable., and I am hero to take the punishment such
perfidy deserves.' -Mr. 1,'otch's character as a man ami a merchant stood too high, to be questioned, and the commo-
dore, whoa moment he!'< % ioleut. became more genial, and replied, 'You deserve favor,' and assisted Mr.
Rotcli to obtain it. The termination of this dilliculty is but one example of the manner in which all these slanders,
from both English and Americans, were disposed of when the accused could have an opportunity of confronting the
accusers or those in authority."
'•(The following is a copy of one of these permits, from Macy, p. 11.".:
" '[L. s.] By Robert Digby, Esquire, Rear Admiral of the Red, and Commander-in-chief, &c., &c.
James < "Permission is hereby given to the Dolphin brig, burthen sixty tons, Walter Folger owner,
ubailiah iv navigated Ivy Gilbert Folger as master and the twelve seamen named in the margin, to leave the
island of Naiilnc' -ed on a whaling voyage, — to commence the first of January, 1782,
and end i ly of - — following, provided that they have on board the necessary whaling
Fetor 1'oUard 'lllf' provisions only, and that (he master of said brig is possessed of a certificate from the
-Andrew Coleman selectmen of the said island. s> •! ting forth that she is bone fide the property of the inhabitants of the
i iiieil llarnard island, with I he names of i he mauler and seamen in her; and that she shall not be found proceed-
JonathaD iiiiggs {n^ with her cargo in anj Other port than Nan tucket or New York.
'"Dated at Xew York, Lb <'>er, 17-1.
••'ROBERT DIGP.Y.
" ' To the eommis-siouersof his majesty's ships ami vessels of war, as well as of all privateer. sand letters of marque.
" ' By command of the Admiral :
" • THOMAS M. PALMER.'"
128 HISTOTJY AND METHODS OF THE F1SHEKIES.
having been unmolested for several years, hart become numerous, and were pretty easily caught.
To carry on the whale fishery under permission of the Government.of Great Britain was a proceed-
ing somewhat novel, and could not pass unnoticed. Although it was not publicly known, yet it
was generally believed that some kind of indulgence had been shown by the. enemy to the people
of Nautucket. This caused some, clamor on the continent; but our Government well knew the
situation of the place, and its large participation in the calamities of the war, and was, consequently,
rat her inclined to favor than to eondenm the acceptance of favors from the English. Although
the Government could not grant an exclusive privilege to any particular part of the Union, yet
such encouragement was given by the leading men of the nation, in their individual capacity, as
to warrant the proceeding. Several vessels whaling under these permits were taken by American
privateers and carried into port, but, in every instance they were soon liberated. Whenever it
was found that the permits were used for no other purpose, than that for which they had been
granted, and that the vessels using them had not been engaged in illicit trade, there was no
hesitation in releasing them.'
"Nevertheless a great risk attended this mode of proceeding, und the islanders became
satisfied that to make the business reasonably safe permits must be obtained from both contending
powers and permission also to make use of each license against the other's vessels of war. Accord-
ingly, a town meeting was convened on the 25th of September, 1782, and a memorial prepared
and adopted which was sent to the general court of Massachusetts.* This petition recited the
unfortunat<* situation the people were in, exposed to the inroads of English and Americans, with
neither side able or willing to protect them against the other, and powerless, because of the
defenseless character of the island and the religious convictions of the vast majority of the inhabi-
tants, to suitably guard their own firesides. They urged that people in continental towns, where
the broad country opened to them a place for retreat, could have but faint ideas of the suffering
of those who were constantly liable to hostile, invasion and whose insular position precluded
all thoughts of escape, and they indignantly resented the calumnies which had been spread broad-
cast through the State in regard to alleged actions of theirs. Kegarding the prosecution of their
business, they said:
" ' We now beg leave to throw a few hints before you respecting the Whalefishery, as a matter
of great importance to this Commonwealth. This place before the War, was the First in that
branch of business, & employed more than One Hundred Sail of good Vessels therein, which fur-
nish'd a support net only for Five Thousand Inhabitants here, but for Thousands elsewhere, no
place so well adapted for the good of the Community at large as Nautucket, it being destitute of
every material necessary in the Business, and the Inhabitants might be called Factors for the
Continent rather than Principals; as the war encreased the Fishery ceased, until necessity obliged
us to make trial the last Year, with about seventeen sail of Vessels, Two of which were captured
& carried to New York,t & one was burnt the others made saving voyages. The present Year
we employed about Twenty Four sail in the same business, which have mostly coinpleated their
Voyages, but with little success; \ a great loss will ensue; this we apprehend is greatly owing
to the circumscribed situation of the Fishery ; we are now fully sensible that it can no longer be pur-
sued by us, unless we have free liberty both from Great Britain & America to fish without inter-
" *By a very (lisas' runs lire at, Nautiicket, in 1846, the records both of the town iincl custom-house were destroyed,
hence there arises much dil'lienlty in getting many interesting details. Many uf the custom records of New Bedford
were destroyed by fire iu IHiJ ; the corresponding documents of Newport, prior to 1779, were carried away by the
English, and the vessel containing them being sank, they were, when recovered, in a very damaged condition; the
similar records of Sag Harbor (the older ones) were stored in a damp place, and are mildewed and illegible."
"t New York, al this lime, \\asiu possession of the English."
Till': WHALE EISHEKY.
ruption; As \vt> now linil One of our Vessels is captured & carried to Now York, but without any
Oil on lioanl, and Two others have lately been taken & carried into Boston & Salem, under pre-
tense of having double papers on board, (Nevertheless we presume the captors will no! sa.v that
any of our Whalemen have. gone into New York during the .season as such a charge would have
no foundation in Truth). And if due attention is not paid to this valuable branch, which if it was
viewed in all its parts, perhaps would appear the most advantageous, of any possess'd by this
Government, it will be entirely lost, if the War continues: We view it with regret & mention it
with concern. & from the gloomy prospect nov, before ns, we apprehend many of the Inhabitants
must quit the Island, not being able even to provide necessaries for the approaching Winter: some
will retreat to the Continent & set down in the Western Governments; and the most active in the
Fishery will most probably go to distant Countries, where they can have every encouragement,
by Nations who are eagerly wishing to embrace so favourable an opportunity to accomplish their
desires; which will be a great loss to the Continent in general, but more to this Government in
particular. We beg leave to impress the consideration of this important subject, not as the judg-
ment of an insignificant few, but of a Town which a few Years since stood the Third in Bank (if
we mistake not) in bearing the Burthens of Government; It was then populous and abounded
with plenty, it is yet populous but is covered with poverty. Your Memorialists have made choice
of Samuel Starbuck, Josiah Barker, William Botch, Stephen Hnssey and Timothy Folger, as their
Committee who can speak more fully to the several matters coutaiu'd in this Memorial, or any
other thing that may concern this County, to whom we desire to refer yon. Signed in behalf of
the Town by —
'"FREDERICK FOLGER,
" ' Town Clerk:
"This memorial was referred to a committee consisting of George Cabot, esq., on behalf of the
senate, and General Ward and Colonel McCobb on the part of the house, which committee on
the ^9th of October made the following report:
'" That altho' the Facts set forth in said Memorial are true and the Memorialists deserve
Relief in the premises, yet as no adequate Relief can be given them but by the United States in
Congress assembled, therefore it is the opinion of the Committee that the said Memorial be referr'd
to the consideration of Congress, and the Delegates of this Commonwealth be required to use
their Endeavours to impress Congress with just Ideas of the high worth & Importance of the
Whale fishery to the United States in general, & this State in particular.'*
"This report was accepted, and it was ordered that the delegates lie furnished with a copy of
the memorial, and be required to take the action indicated in the report.
'' In addition to the action of the general court, the town also sent William Itotch and Samuel
Starbuck to Philadelphia to intercede personally in the matter. After conferring with General
••'Mass. Cul. Mss , Iviitmiis, i, \>\<. rJl-."i-i>-7-iS-'J. A memorandum a> •e-onipanie's Ibis, which various cireum-
st. -HUM'S .sci'in tii iinlii'ate is (In- \vurk of Mr. Kotch, and which sa\s : ' 1 '< -i -li.-i|i.s some of those reports may have origin at IM!
from this— :i Commit tor of our Island in I IK- f'mv part of tin1 ye-ar 17-1 applied to some of tin- Members of the (!< ueral
Court and spread before them lh<- pi-< -ulhir e-.iroumstanee-s wherein the Island was involved, one whereof was that
our Vessels whenever thej passed in or mil were perfectly uuder the controul of the Unions and it was therefore
neee-s:ir\ that permits si Id lie obtained from them for our Vessels lei preiee-e-el on the- W halt) -fishery — since which
time- si mi e of them have- been tal.e-n by i he> Ainei lean i'l ivaliM-rs I'm having such Permits —and \ve are- thereby reduced
to this difficulty that if\\e carry our Vessels over the- bar wiMiont pe-mm iVom the Ilritish Admiral they are< made
pri/.e- I, i the- BritOU3— if they have- such permits tln-\ are' ta\en by our eiwn Ciniutn men — and mir harbour is there-
fore completely shut up — and all our prospects terminate in pm. rlv anil distress what gives us great cone'crn is that
our people who understand I lie \Vli;ile- lishery will be driveu lei foreign m-iil ral ( 'mint lies and many years must pass
away before we- shall again be enabled I" puisne- a branch of business w Ine-h b.i i li been in tiine-s past our snppoYt and
hath yie-Ieleel sue' It lame a ill - I o 1 1 ie ( 'em i me i -e-e of 1 1 1 i s ( ID m try.'"
SEC. \, VOL. u 0
130 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Lincoln, Samuel Osgood, Nathaniel Gorham, Thomas Fitzsimuious, and James Madison, they
approached one of the Massachusetts delegation who was a resident of Boston, and who was
greatly prejudiced against Nantucket. After an interview of about two hours with no apparent
relaxation of the bitterness of feeling on his part, Mr. Eotch questioned him as to whether the
whale fishery was 'worth preserving to this country?' He replied, 'Yes.' 'Can it be preserved
in the present state of things by afly place except Nantucket?' 'No.' 'Can we preserve it unless
you and the British will both give us permits?' 'No.' 'Then, pray,' continued Mr. Eotch, 'where
is the difficulty"?' Thus this interview ended. Messrs. Eotch and Starbuck then drew up a
memorial and presented it to the consideration of the above named gentlemen, desiring them to
review it, at the same time telling them of the conversation between Mr. Eotch and the delegate
from Boston. By advice of these friends they waited again upon the member from Massachusetts,
and he accepted the charge of bringing the subject before Congress, where, after deliberation, it
was determined to grant permits for thirty-five vessels to sail on whaling voyages, and these were
accordingly granted and delivered. The very next day a vessel arrived from Europe bringing the
rumor of the signing of a provisional treaty of peace.*
'• This was early in 1783. t The passage from the provisional to the definitive treaty was long,
circuitous, and at times dark. One of the chief sources of difference was the settlement of the
question of the fisheries, England with an apparent feeling of magnanimity conceding favors, and
America with a sense of justice claiming rights. Against what the United States considered her
just dues the diplomacy of the English, their late enemies, and the French, their recent allies, was
arrayed, and nothing but firmness, sagacity, and skill on the part of the American commissioners
saved the day. The English guarded their assumptions with all possible jealousy ; the French
sought a loose place in the armor to insert the diplomatic sword, and gain by treaty what they
had bsen unable to sustain with force. The Americans were ever on the alert to overcome the
prejudices of a power from whom they had conquered a peace, and to propitiate the supersensi-
tiveness of a power which had rendered them so valuable assistance. They could not, however,
depart from certain propositions. The articles which must be inviolate were those guaranteeing
to America full and unconditional independence, and the withdrawal from the thirteen States of
all British troops ; the Mississippi as a western, and the Canadian line as it was prior to the Que-
bec act of 1774, for a northern boundary ; and a freedom in the fishery off Newfoundland and
elsewhere as it had been enjoyed prior to the commencement of hostilities. In vain Great Britain
sought to evade the latter clause ; the United States tenaciously, as in a vice, held her to it, and
she yielded. "
EFFECTS OF THE EEVOLXTI IONAEY WAR.— "But the announcement of peace came to a
people whose commerce was sadly devastated. Save such of the interest as had been preserved
by what Mr. Jefferson termed the Nantucketois, the business of whaling was practically ruined
and required rebuilding. To Nantucket the war had, despite its holy necessity and its glorious
conclusion, been a heavy burden. Of the little over 150 vessels owned there in 1775, 134 had
fallen into the hands of the English and 15 more were lost by shipwreck; many of the young men
had perished through the rigors of war;J in about 800 families on the island there were 202
widows and 342 orphan children; the direct money loss far exceeded $1,000,000 in times when a
" 'Memoranda of William Eotch — unpublished."
" t On the 22d of March, 1783, au order was passed in Congress granting 35 licenses to Nautuckot vessels to whale
ami to secure theui from the penalty attached to double papers. (Madison Papers, p. 405.)"
" t It is estimated that no less than 1,200 seamen, mostly whalemen, were captured by the English or perished at
i lien- bauds during the Revolution, from Nan tucket alone! "
THE WHALE FISHEIiY. 131
mail's pay was 67 cents per day ; oiie merchant alone lost over $00,000. * And as it was with
Nautucket, so it was in a degree with all the whaling ports.! With an energy characteristically
American, they sought, on the return of peace, to retrieve their losses. Scarcely had the echo of
the hostile guns died away, scarcely had the joyful news of peace reached their ports, when the
whalemen began to equip anew for their fishery. The Bedford, just returned to Nantucket from a
voyage, was immediately loaded with oil and dispatched to L6*udon, arriving in the Downs on the
3d of February. Her appearance was thus chronicled by an English magazine of that day : 'The
ship Bedford, Captain Mooers,| belonging to the Massachusetts, arrived in the Downs the 3d of
February, passed Gravesend the 4th, & was reported at the Custom-House the Cth instant. She
was not allowed regular entry uutil some consultation had taken place between the commissioners
of the customs & the lords of council, on account of the many acts of parliament yet in force
against the rebels in America. She is loaded with 487 butts of whale oil; is American built ;§
inauned wholly by American seamen ; wears the rebel colors & belongs to the Island of Nan-
tucket in Massachusetts. This is the first vessel which displayed the thirteen rebellious stripes of
America in any British Port. The vessel lies at Horseley down a little below the Tower, and is
jnteuded immediately to return to New England.'' Immediately after, almost simultaneously with
her, arrived another ship from Nantucket — the Industry, Capt. John Chadwick, while the sloop
Speedwell, James Whippey, master, was sent to Aux Cayes.|| Those at Nautucket who had
capital left resumed the whale fishery with as many vessels as they could procure. Long compar-
ative immunity from capture had caused the whaling-grounds to become repopulated, and the
whales themselves had become less shy and hence more easily killed. Directly succeeding the
war the products of the fishery commanded good prices, and soon other ports entered into compe-
tition. New London, Sag Harbor, Hudson, N. Y., Boston, Hiugham, Wellfleet, Braintree,fl Ply-
mouth, Bristol, each sent out one or more whale huuters. For a brief time the business promised
much profit, but the fever was a fitful one. The excessive prices which the commodity commanded
immediately after the war ** rapidly became reduced ; Great Britain, the only market for the sperm
oil, had, by an alien duty of £18 sterling per ton, practically precluded its shipment from America.
Oil which before the war was worth £30, now scarcely brought £17, while to cover expenses and
leave a reasonable margin for profit, £25 were required.!! The situation was indeed desperate —
almost hopeless."
ESTABLISHMENT OF BOUNTY SYSTEM BY MASSACHUSETTS. — "In the discussion of means for
relief many of the people of Nantucket expressed the opinion that if the island could be made
neutral commercial affairs might assume a more healthy tone. A memorial was finally sent to the
legislature of Massachusetts praying relief, and the agents presenting it were instructed to have
the subject of neutrality acted upon. As may be readily supposed, however, the invidious legisla-
tion that Nautucket was uuable to obtain during the war, she would scarcely be likely to get on
its conclusion, and the subject of neutrality was very properly dismissed. That the depression in
the whaling business needed some alleviation was, however, too evident to require discussion, and
" * William Eotch, esq."
"t Warren, R. I., suffered a loss of 12 vessels (about 1,100 tons), of which at least two were whalemen. — (Hist, of
Warren, p. 101.)"
"tCapt. William Mooers, who sailed for many years in the employ of Messrs. Kotch & Co. It is related that one
of the crew of the vessel first showing the American flag in the Thames was hump-backed. Oue day a British sailor
meeting him clapped his hand upon the American's shoulder, saying, 'Hilloa, Jack, what have you got heref '
'Bunker Hill and be d d to you,' replied the Yankee, 'will you mount?'"
" $ The Bedford was built in 1765, by Ichabod Thomas, at North River. She was built a brig."
" || Letter of William Rotch. esq." " II One small schooner of 38 tous burden hailed from Braintroe."
"** Macy's Nantucket, lai." " tt See Mr. Rotch's MS."
132 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
in 1785 the legislature passed the followiug preamble and resolution: 'Whereas this court, having
a due seuse of the high worth and importance of the whale fishery, are desirous of its preservation
nut only to this State, but to the United States in general ; therefore, Resolved, That there be paid,
out of the treasury of this Commonwealth, the following bounties upon whale oil of the different
qualities hereafter mentioned, viz : For every ton of white spermaceti oil, five pounds ; for every
ton of brown or yellow spermaceti eil, sixty shillings; for every ton of whale oil (so called), forty
shillings, that may be taken or caught by any vessel or vessels that are or may be owned and
manned wholly by the inhabitants of this Commonwealth, and landed within the same, from and
after the first day of January next, until the further order of the general court.' The selectmen of
the various towns were further empowered to appoint sworn inspectors to inspect all oil so landed,
and mark on the head of cadi cask so inspected the iuitital letters of his name, and a description
of the oil by the initials W. B., or Y. W. O., and deliver to the selectmen a sworn certificate
thereof. To obtain the bounty, a certificate from the selectmen must be presented to the governor
and council,* detailing the kind, quality, and amount of oil, and where landed. To this certifi-
cate the owners were to make oath or affirmation.
" But, although the bounty seemed at first beneficial, the ultimate effect was not so good. The
business became unduly stimulated and an overproduction prevented to a great degree the desired
advance in profit. The demand was greatly limited. A long suspension in the use of oil had
accustomed the people in general to the use of tallow candles, and but little oil was required either
for towns or for light-houses."
TRANSFER OF WHALING INTERESTS FROM NANTUCKET TO FRANCE AND ENGLAND.— "In
the mean time, seeing no chance for any amelioration in their condition, unable to carry on a
business at a prospective loss, and accustomed from early childhood only to this pursuit,
hence unable and unwilling to adventure another, some of the prominent merchants of Nantucket
resolved to transfer their business to some place where the demand for their products and the
advantageous bounty offered would make it far more remunerative. Among these was William
Rotch. On the 4th of July, 1785, Mr. Rotch sailed from Nantucket in the ship Maria, bound for
London, arriving there on the 37th. -At as early a day as practicable he opened negotiations with
the chancellor of the exchequer (William Pitt) for a transfer to England of such of the whale fish-
ery at Nantucket as he could control.t The subject was laid before the privy council, and Mr.
Rotch waited four months for their summons. Finally, in deference to a request of his that some
one be appointed to close the matter, he was referred to Lord Hawksbury, a gentleman not very
favorably disposed toward America. Mr. Rotch gave him his estimate of the sum necessary to
induce a removal, viz, ' £100 sterling transportation for a family of five persons, and £100 settle-
"*Macy, 129."
"t Capt. Alexander Coffin was of those who looked upon the whale fishery as a peculiarly American pursuit,
aud who denounced any effort looking to a transfer of it to any foreign government. On tlie 8th of June, 1785, he
addressed from Nantucket a vigorous letter to the Hon. Samuel Adams. He wrote in severe terms agaiust the meas-
being adopted to remove to England, and says Mr. Rotch ' is now taking on board a double stock of materials,
such as cedar boards (commonly called boat-boards), of which they have none in England, a large quantity of coop-
er's stuff for casks, Are. Xeit her does it .stop liere ; the house of Rotch have been endeavoring to engage an acquaint-
am e <>r mine i« m, t,, I'.ennudas to superintend the business at that place.' In a postscript he adds, 'Since writing the
:|l><>\ e I 1 1 nve I ice 1 1 favored with the original scheme of establishment of the fishery at Bermudas, copies of which are
hero inclosed. One of the company is now at Kennebec, contracting with some persons for an annual supply of
IHH>IIX, stu\ c's, and other lumber necessary for the business.' This letter was laid before the senate of Massachusetts,
and tin1 result \vas the passage of an act prohibiting the export to Bermudas of the articles enumerated, and the trans-
fer in this direction was prevented."
TIIK \YII.\u: nsilKKY. |;;;;
.unit; Cl'0,000 fur a hundred families.' Loid llawksbnrv demurred ID this as a la rye. .sum.*
At a, subsequent interview Mr. Uotcli added ID Iiis previous ])osition the demand to biini; with him
thirty American ships, which demand also met \vilh remonstrance 1'roiu Loid Hawkshnry, who
.seemed to be of the ' penny \vise pound foolish ' order of statesmen. Mr. Hotel) finally took leave
of Lord HawUsbnry without obtaining any satisfaction, and, embarking on board his vessel, sailed
for France. t Landing at Dunkirk, he drew up proposals to the French <!overnmeiJt and forwarded
them to Paris. These proposals were eagerly entertained, and the preliminaries were speedily
arranged for a transfer of (lie interest of Mr. Rotch and his family and friends to Dunkirk, from
which port, for several years, a. very successful fishery was carried on. Contemporary with the,
negotiations with Mr. Rotch, a letter was dispatched to the people of Nantucket by Capt. Shubael
tlardncr, from L — - Coffin, who resided at Dunkirk, stating that his sympathy for the people
of that island had led him to apply to the French Government in their behalf, and with excellent
success. Every request he had made had been granted, and the unlimited freedom, tflfc abun-
dance and cheapness of provisions, the absence of custom-houses, the small taxes, the regularity ct
the town, the manners and industry of the inhabitants, and its situation, rendered it, in his opin-
ion, l the most eligible place in the universe for the people of Nantucket to remove to.f
••'•Ami uli.it,' queried Lord Hawksbnry, 'do you prop use. lo givu us iu return for this outlay of money ?' 'I will
nive you,' returned Mr. Rotch proudly, 'some of tie best blood of the island of Nun tucket.' At this interview Hawks-
bury presented his own figures, where, says Mr. Rotch (see MS.), 'he had made hisnice calculation of £87 10«. for
transportation aud settlement of a family,' and, says he, ' Iain about a fishery bill, and I want to come to something
that I may insert it,' &c. My answer was, ' Thy offer is no object; therefore goon with thy fishery bill without any
regard to me.' I was then taking leave aud withdrawing. 'Well, Mr. Rotch. you'll call on me again in two or three
days.' ' I see no necessity for it.' ' But I desire you would.' ' If it is thy desire perhaps I may call.' However, he
let me rest 1ml one day before he sent for me. He hud the old story over again, but I told him it was unnecessary to
enter again into the subject. I then iu formed him that I had beard a rumor that Nantncket liad agreed to furnish
France with a quantity of oil. He stopped to his bureau, took out one of a file of papers, and pretended to read an
entire contradiction, though I was satisfied there was not a line there on the subject. I said, ' It was only a vague
report that I had heard, aud I cannot vouch for the truth of it, but we are like drowning men, catching at everv
straw that passes by; therefore I am now determined to go to France aud see what it is. If there is any such con-
tract, sufficient to retain us at Nautucket, neither you nor any other nation shall have us, and if it is insufficient, I
will endeavor to enlarge it.' 'Ah,' says he, 'Quakers go to France?' 'Yes,' I replied, ' but with regret.' I then
pai-ted with Lord Hawksbury for the last time. — (Rotch MS.)"
" t His lordship sent once more for Mr. Rotch to call on him, but Mr. Rotch returned answer, ' If Lord Hawks-
bury ib-sires to" see me be will find rue on board my vessel up to the hour when she takes her anchor.' When Mr.
Rotch was once gone, Hawksbury became alarmed and sent to him by letter, informing him that he had made pro-
vision in the fishery bill for him, with liberty to bring- forty ships instead of thirty, ' he having forgotten the num-
ber;' but it was too late. This unexpected ending of his hopes was far from pleasing either to his lordship or tbe
( "i\ eminent. After tbe interview with the King of France, Mr. Rotch returned to England, and was importuned to
remove to Great Britain. In his memoranda he says be was waited upon by one of the officials, who told him ho was
' authorized by Mr. Pitt to tell you that you shall make your own terms.' 'I told him,' continues Mr. Rotch, ' he v*as
too late. I made very moderate proposals to you, but could obtain nothing worth my notice. I went to France, senl
forward my proposals, which were doubly advantageous to what I had oifered your Government ; they considered
them Inn a -hurt tune, and on my arrival in Paris were ready to act. I had a separate interview with all the minis-
ters ol'state necessary to the subject, five in number, who all agreed to aud granted my demands. This was effected
iu live hours, when 1 had waited to be called by your privy council more than four months.' All attempts on
the part of the English Government to reopen the subject were politely but. firmly rejected by Mr. Rotch. 'In the
beginning of 1793,' the account continues, 'I became fully aware that war hetueeii England aud France would
- iiakeplaee; therefore it was lime tor me to leave the country iu order to save our vessels if captured by the
English. 1 proceeded lo England. Two of them were captured, full of oil, and condemned, but we recovered both by
my being in Knghiud, where I arrived two weeks before the war took place. My going to France to pursue the whale
fishery so disappointed Lord Hawksbnry that he undertook to be revenged on me for his own folly, and I have no
doubt ".ave directions to the cruisers lo take an\ of our vessels that they met with going to France. When the
Ospray was taken by a King's ship, the officer sent on board to examine her papers called to the captain and said,
"You'll take this vessel in, sir; she belongs to William Rotch." ' Mr. Rotch returned to (he United .stales with
several of his vessels in 1794, and. after residing in Nantucket about a year, removed to New Bedford, where he lived
until his death, in May, 1828."
" t The following is a list of advantages secured to Nantucket, whalemen by Mr. Coffin :
' ' 1st. An entire lice exercise of their religion or worship within themselves.
134 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
" What effect this state of affairs may have hail in the arrangement of treaties of commerce
with Great Britain is somewhat uncertain, but. the attempt to a consummation of this plan was
intrusted to a man not only thoroughly imbued with New England principles, but of sufficient
statesmanship to realize of how much national importance this matter was. None knew better
than John Adams that the secret of the commercial greatness which should be developed lay in
the codevelopmeut of the fisheries; that herein was the nursery for seamen who would be a source
of wealth in peace and of power in war. It was desirable, to irake duties and courtesies more
reciprocal, and one of the first duties intrusted to Mr. Adams on his appointment to the court of
St. James in 1785 was the arrangement of some treaty which should be mutually satisfactory.
Naturally, one of the principal points was the importation of the products of our fishermen, since
that industry, perhaps more than any other, was in danger of serious injury from the existing con-
dition of things.
" I* a letter to the Marquis of Carmarthen, dated July 29, 1785, Mr. Adams refers to the
trouble accruing from the alien duties laid by England in these words : ' The course of commerce
since the peace, between Great Britain and the United States of America, has been such as to
have produced many inconveniences to the persons concerned in it on both sides, which become
every day more and more sensible. The zeal of Americans to make remittances to British
merchants has been such as to raise the interest of money to double its usual standard, to
increase the price of bills of exchange to 8 or 10 percentum above par, and to advance the price
of the produce of the country to almost double the usual rate. Large sums of the circulating
cash, and as much produce as could be purchased at almost any rate, have been remitted to
" ' 2d. The concession of a tract of ground to build their houses and stores.
" '3d. All the privileges, exemptions, and advantages promised by the King's declaration in 1662, confirmed by
letters patent of 1784, to all strangers who come to establish there, which are the same as those enjoyed by the natif
subjects of his majisty.
" '4th. The importation into the Kingdom, free from all duties whatever, of the oil proceeding from their fishery,
and the same premiums and encouragement granted for the cod and other fisheries to natif subjects.
"'Sth. A premium per ton ou the burthen of the vessels that will carry on the whale fishery, which shall be
determined in the course of the negotiation either with Mr. Rotch or with the select men of the island.
" '6th. All objects of provisions and victuals for their ships shall be exempted from all duties whatever.
" '7th. An additional and heavier duty shall be laid on all foreign oil, as a further encouragement to them, in
order to facilitate the sale of their own.
" ' 8th. The expenses of removing those of the inhabitants who are not capable of defraying themselves shall be
paid by the Government.
" ' 9th. A convenient dock shall be built to repair their ships.
" ' 10th. All trades-people, such as smiths, boat-builders, coopers, and others shall be admitted to the free exer-
cise of their trade without being liable to the forms and expense usually practiced and paid by the natif subjects for
their admittance to mastership.
" ' llth. They shall have liberty to command their own vessels, and have the choice of their own people to navi-
gate them.
" '12th. They shall bo free from all military and naval service, as well in war as in peace, in the same manner
and extent as expressed by the King's ordinance of the 16th of February, 1759.'— (Macy, 257, 258.)
" These were probably essentially the same concessions made to Mr. Rotch in person. How many American
captains pursued the fishery from the various British and French ports subsequently to the Revolution it would be
difficult to determine. Nantucket alone furnished eighty-three captains for the French and one hundred and forty-
nine captains for the English fishery ; probably the bulk of the total number came from this one port, though in the
course of the prosecution of whaling by these nations, New Bedford furnished a very considerable number. In a
' Journal of a Voyage to Greenland ' from Dunkirk in the ship Penelope, Capt. Tristram Gardner (a Nantucket man),
be records, under the head of Friday, June 6, 1788, in latitude 70° north, ' 100 ships in sight.' On the 22d of the same
month he states, as a mere matter of fact not worthy of extended comment, ' Wind at South ; A Rnged sea ; Plenty
of Snow. Later Part Saw Ise to ye S. YV. of us a 4 ye wind Shifted to ye Northward, but Still thick weather. Saw
A Number of ships, but No whale. So ends this 24 hours. Lat. 79.02.' And yet this is within about 175 miles of
the highest northern point attained by any of our splendidly equipped expeditions undertaken with the express pur-
pose of pushing as far north as possible in vessels armored and strengthened and equipped in the most complete
manner, while the whaling voyages were pursued in small, not uncommonly strong ships, not even having the feeble
protection of coppered bottoms. As early as 1753, a schooner was fitted from Boston for the discovery of the north-
west passage. She sailed in the spiin^ and returned in October of the same year."
THE wn ALT: FISHEKY. 135
[•'.upland : but much of this produce lies in store here, because it will not letch, by reason of tbo
duties aud restrictions on it, the price given for it in America. No political arrangements having
been made, both the British and American merchants expected that the trade -would have
returned to its old channels, and nearly under the same regulations, found by long experience
to be beneficial ; but they have been disappointed. The former have made advances, and the
latter contracted debts, both depending upon remittances in the usual articles, and upon the
ancient terms, but both have found themselves mistaken, and it is much to be feared that the
consequences will be numerous failures. Cash and bills have been chiefly remitted; neither
rice, tobacco, pitch, tar, turpentine, ships, oil, nor many other articles, the great sources of remit-
tances formerly, can now be sent as heretofore, because of restrictions and imports, which are
new in this commerce, and destructive of.it ; and the trade with the British West India Islands,
formerly a vast source of remittance, is at present obstructed. * * * There is a literal impos-
sibility, my lord, that the commerce between the two countries can continue long to the. advan-
tage of either upon the present footing.'* He continues, that these evils will increase, and
asserts that it is the desire of the United States to be on good terms commercially with England,
and not be driven to other markets with their goods, and he closes by proposing the arrangement
of a treaty of commerce, between the two countries.
" It would be interesting, though not necessary in this connection, to follow the negotiations
through each step ; to see how the English administration felt compelled to cater to those who
upheld the British navigation laws ; to see how jealousy of our incipient naval power procrasti-
nated the treaty which it was inevitable must come ; to see how self-confident and secure the
English felt that our trade must unavoidably come to them ; to see how an attempt was made to
throw the influence of Ireland against America by ostentatious concessions, and how the attempt
failed ; to see how, finally, the fear of American reciprocity in restrictions led to English reci-
procity in concessions ; but those things can be more satisfactorily learned from the diplomatic
correspondence of the day.t
" On the 24th of August Mr. Adams had a conference with Mr. Pitt for the first time in this
connection. Passing by the matter of the interview, so far as it relates to the other portions of
the proposed treaty, we find that when the treaty of commerce was proposed, Mr. Pitt inquired "
what were the lowest terms that might be satisfactory to America. Mr. Adams replied that he
might not think himself competent to decide that question ; that, because of the rapidly increas-
ing feeling in America, affairs had already culminated in Massachusetts in the passage of an act
of navigation by that State, showing the tendency of the times, and that the action of England
would have much to do in arresting that prejudice ; that the five hundred ships employed in the
commerce of the United States in 1784 might easily be compelled to become the property of
American citizens and navigated wholly by American seamen ; that the simple passage of an old
English statute, ' that none of the King's liege people should ship any merchandise out of or into
the realm, but only in ships of the King's liegance, on pain of forfeiture,' modified to suit the
American form of government, would effect this; that the nation had the legal right to govern
its own commerce; that the ability of the Americans to build ships and the abundance of
material they had for that purpose could not be doubted ; and that whatever laws England might
make, she would be glad to receive and consume considerable American produce, even though
imported through France or Holland, and sell us as many of her manufactures as we could pay
for, through the same channels. The conversation finally introduced the subject of ships and oil,
and Mr. Pitt said to Mr. Adams the Americans ' could not think hard of the English for encourag-
ing their own shipwrights, their manufacturers of ships, and their own whale fishery.' To which
" " Works of John Adams, viii, p. 288." "\Ibid., p. 307."
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Mr. Adams replied, ' By no means, but it appeared unaccountable to the- people of America that
this country should sacrifice the general interests of the nation to the private interests of a few
individuals interested iu the manufacture of ships and iu the whale fishery, so far as to refuse
these remittances from America iu payment of debts, and for manufactures which would employ
so many more people, augment the revenue so considerably, as well as the national wealth, which
would, even in other ways, so much augment the shipping and seamen of the nation. It was
looked upon iu America as reconciling themselves to a diminution of their own shipping and sea-
men, in a great degree, for the sake of diminishing ours in a small one, besides keeping many of
their manufacturers out of employ, who would otherwise have enough to do; and besides greatly
diminish the revenue, and, consequently, contrary to the maxim which he had just acknowledged
that one nation should not hurt itself for the sake of hurting another, nor take measures to
deprive another of any advantage without benefiting itself.'* From the questions of compara-
tive gains or losses to either power, and the relations in which France would stand to both, Mr.
Pitt led Mr. Adams into a lengthy and useless conversation on the whale fisheries of the three
countries, referring specially to the efforts of M. de Calonne to introduce this pursuit into France,
asking suddenly the question ' whether we had taken any measures to find a market for our oil
anywhere but in France.' To this Mr. Adams replied, 'I believed we had, and I have been told
that some of our oil had found a good market at Bremen; but there could not be a doubt that
spermaceti oil might find a market in most of the great cities in Europe which were illuminated
iu the night, as it is so much better and cheaper than the vegetable oil that is commonly used.
The fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of auy substance that
is known in nature, and we are all surprised that you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies,
burglaries, and murders in your streets to the receiving, as a remittance, our spermaceti oil.
The lamps around Grosveuor Square, I know, and iu Downing street, too, I suppose, are dim by
midnight, and extinguished by two o'clock ; whereas our oil would burn bright till 9 o'clock in the
morning, and chase away, before the watchmen, all the villains, and save you the trouble and
danger of introducing a new police into the city.'t
" But despite the fact that Mr. Pitt appeared more favorable than was anticipated, Mr. Adams
did not expect any immediate response to his propositions. The English ministers in their
individual capacity seemed singularly timorous, and manifested much fear of committing them-
selves before joint cabinet action. Adams inclined to the opinion that nothing short of the con-
vincing eloquence of dire necessity would drive the English ministry from the positions they had
assumed in regard to the navigation act, and that an answer to his propositions, even at a late
day, was doubtful, without Congress authorized similar acts with the United States, and these
counter-irritants were actually put in force, to determine on which side the inconvenience was
greatest. The great cry in the United Kingdom was, ' Shall the United States be our ship-
carpenters ? Shall we depend upon a foreign nation for our navigation ? In case of a war with
them, shall we be without ships, or obliged to our enemies for them ?' How much this nightmare
of inability to cope with their late colonies in anything like a fair field was stimulated by the
Government is uncertain, but the authorities evidently used no efforts to allay it.f
"»5th Richard, ii, ch. 3." "t Works of Johu Adams, viii, pp. 308-309."
" { In negotiation with the Portuguese ministers in November, 1875, Mr. Adams asked (viii, p. 340) if they did not
want our sperm oil. lie replied that they had olives and made oil from them; they had no use lor their own sperm
oil and sold it to Spain. -They had now,' hi; said, • u, very pretty spermaceti -whale fishery, which they had learned
of the New Euglaiidcrs, and carried on upon the coast of Brazil.' According to the Boston News-Letter of April, 21,
1774, the method of obtaining their knowledge was somewhat open to objections. In 1805 the Portuguese attempted
to carry on the whaling business from Mozambique, and Timothy Folger, Francis Paddack, William Hull, and John
Hillmau, of Nautucket, \vcnf thereto take charge of the fishery; but early in 1810 accounts were received at Nan-
tucket stating that they had all been taken sick anil died I here."
Till; \\ IIALK I--1SI1KKY. 137
" The effort to bring about the desired compromise continued, as Mr. Adams had judged it
would, all the succeeding fall and winter. In January, 178(i, Bowdoin wrote to Adams, in reply
to a letter from him, that Hie navigation act of Massachusetts had been so modified as to be only
operative against Great Britain, and copies of the repealing act had been sent to the executives of
the other States in order to secure harmony of action upon this point. Ill regard to the effect the
existing English laws would have upon the interest which is under consideration here, he wrote:
'It is very true, their encouragement of their whale fishery, by suffering the alien duty on oil to
depress ours, will increase their shipping iu this branch, increase their seamen, and, in several
other ways, be advantageous to them. To a person that looks no further, it would appear that this
was good policy ; and the goodness of it would be inferred from the advantages arising. But when
he should extend his view, and see how that stoppage of the American whale fishery, by depriving
the Americans of so much capital a means of paying for the woolen goods they used to take ot
Britain, must, at the same time, occasion the American demand to cease, or be proportionately
diminished, not to mention the risk of a change or deviation of the trade from the old channel, he
will calculate the national profit and loss that arises from that stoppage.
"'Three thousand tons of oil was the usual annual quantity produced by the whalemen at
Xantucket, all of which was shipped to Englaud, at an average price of £35 per ton, making about
£105,500. The whole of which went to pay for and purchase a like amount of woolens and other
British goods ; nine-tenths of the value of which are computed to arise from the labor of the manu-
facturer, and to be so much clear gain to the nation. The other tenth, therefore, being deducted,
gives the national gain arising from the industry of the Kautucket whalemen, and the capital
employed in that business, namely £94,500, without the nation's paying a shilling for the risk of
insurance, or any other risk whatever.
'"On the change of trade, pursuant to the new regulations, the British merchants must
employ a large capital in the whale fishery, whose products we vill suppose equal to that of the
Nautucket, £105,000. They will have made an exceeding good voyage if the whole of that sum
should be equal to one-half of the cost of the outfits ; though, from many of the vessels not meeting
with fish, and from a variety of accidents to which such a voyage is subject, it probably would not
be a quarter. The whole of the product goes towards payment of the outfits and charges of the
voyage, and a large sum must be advanced for the second voyage, &c.
"'Now, although this mode of commerce would be productive of some national benefits, yet,
considered in a comparative view with the benefits arising from the former mode, they would be
found of little importance. A like comparison maybe made with other branches of commerce,
particularly the British West Indian, and the result will be found the same. For the sake, then,
of gaining pence and farthings, Britain is sacrificing pounds by her new regulations of trade. She
has a right to see for herself; but, unhappily, resentment and the consequent prejudices have so
disordered her powers of vision that it requires the skillful hand of a good political optician to
remove the obstructing films. If she will not permit the application of your couching instruments,
or, if applied, they can work no effect, the old lady must be left to her fate, and abandoned as
ncurable.'*
"* Adams, viii, :!i;:l-4 Iu his reply to Mr. Bowdoin, under dad- of May 9, 1786, Mr. Adams, after expressing
surprise that such reasoning as his (Bowdoin's) has no effect on the English cabinet, writes: 'Mr. Jenldnson, an old
friend of the British empire, is still at his labors. He is about establishing a hoimi v upon fifteen ships to the south-
ward, and upon two to double Cape Horn, for spermaceti whales. Americans are to take an oath that they mean to
settle in England before they arc- '-miilr,! (,, ||H- bounty.' In September, 1781), Mr. Adams wiites to Mr. Jell'ersou
from London (viii, 414): 'The whalemen, both ;il (In-mlaml and the southward, have been unsuccessful, and the
\irirc nl' >[u' rn i. -ice) i oil lias risen above £..i' pej inn."'
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
u On the 21st of January, 17SG, Mr. Adams, iu a letter to Secretary Jay, writes : ' It will take
eighteen months more to settle all matters, exclusive of the treaty of commerce.'1* And thus it con-
tinued. Argument and persuasion had no effect. Convinced in spite of themselves, they still
clung fondly, obstinately, perhaps foolishly, to their obnoxious laws. As late as November, 1787,
Mr. Adams writes to Mr. Jay : ' They are at present, both at court and in the nation at large,
much more respectful to me, and much more tender of the United States, than they ever have
been before ; but, depend upon it, this will not last ; they will aim at recovering back the west-
ern lands, at taking away our fisheries, and at the total ruin of our navigation, at least.'t Mr.
Adams's position at the court of St. James was terminated, by his urgent request, soon after this,
and the question of commercial relations between the two countries was still unsettled.;}:
"This state of affairs was scarcely such as would occasion the utmost harmony. The United
States naturally resented this frigid manner of treating our overtures for friendship. In August,
1786, Mr. Jefferson, in a letter from Paris to Mr. Carmichael, writes : ' But as to every other nation
of Europe,§ I am persuaded Congress will never offer a treaty. If any of them should desire one
hereafter, I suppose they will make the first overtures.'" ||
THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY DECLINING. — «' But while America was exerting herself so
unsuccessfully to be allowed to live on terms of civility with England, the whale fishery carried on
from within her borders was languishing.
" Like the effect of the heat of the sun on the iceberg, so was the effect of foreign bounties
upon the American fishery, dissolving it, breaking off a fragment here and a fragment there.
Lured by the promise of English bounties, discouraged with the prospect in America, where the
price for oil would scarcely repay the cost of procuring it, and where there was no market for their
chief staple, several of the people of Nantucket removed to the vicinity of Halifax, in Nova Scotia.
There, in 1786 and 1787, they settled, building dwellings, wharves, stores, manufactories for
sperm candles, and such other structures as were connected with their fishery, and calling their
new settlement Dartmouth.*} There they carried on the pursuit for several years prosperously,
and gave promise of considerable commercial importance. But the disintegration which com-
menced at Nantucket continued at Dartmouth, and just as the settlement seemed about to become
thrifty and important it began to become divided, pieces again split off, and the village, as a
whaling port, soon became a thing of the past. Those who were the earliest to remove from Nan-
tucket soon grew uneasy of their new location, and having greater inducements offered them if
they removed to England, again migrated, and settled in Milford Haven, from whence for many
years they carried on the business with very considerable success. The parent died in giving
birth to the child ; Milford Haven nourished, but at the expense of Dartmouth's existence.
" "Adams, viii, 363-4, 389." " t Ibid., 463."
" t Works of Jefferson, ii, 18. See also article on Jefferson, by Parton, in Atlantic Monthly for February, 1873."
" $ Referring to Russia, Portugal, Spain, France, Sweden, Tuscany, and tbe Netherlands."
"II Jefferson, ii, 18."
" U Works of Jefferson, ii, 518. Mr. Jefferson says, referring to a farther hegira of the islanders : 'A vessel was
already arrived from Halifax to Nantncket, to take off some of those who proposed to remove ; two families had gone
on board, and others were going, when a letter was received there which had been written by Monsieur le Marquis
de Lafayette to a gentleman in Boston, and transmitted by him to Nantucket. The purport of the letter was, to dis-
suade their accepting the British proposals, and to assure them that their friends in France would endeavor to do
something for them. This instantly suspended their design; not another went on board, and the vessel returned to
Halifax with only the [two] families.' In 1796 William Rotch &, Son petitioned Congress to remit the excess of duties
and tonnage charged them on two whale ships by the collector of New Bedford, in i-<pnse(|iirnce of their not being pro-
vided with United States registers. These were ships which sailed from Nantncket in 1787 and 1789, under registers
from the State of Massachusetts, and were used in the Dunkirk fishery, returning to the United States in 1794, some
years after the National Government, had been in operation. The committee which was appointed to consider the
petition reported favorably upon it, and the prayer was granted.— (State Papers, vii, p. 411.)"
TI1K WIIALK I'M SI I HUT. 139
" France did not view tliis transfer with indifference. The scheme for the building up of the
fishery at Dunkirk by emigration from Nantncket having proven only partially successful,* it was
desirable to inaugurate some other measures to prevent further increase of the business in England.
A committee of gentlemen -well informed in such matters was instructed to investigate and report
on the subject of encouragement of a general commerce with the United States. It was evident
that the American whalemen conld not be induced to leave their native country if they could sup-
port themselves there. The natural inference was, if a market could be opened to their products
which would replace the one closed, they would not emigrate. Accordingly upon this point the
committee reported in favor of an immediate abatement of the duty upon oil and a promise of a
further abatement after the year 1790. The letter of M. do Calonnes (who was in treaty with the
Xautucket whalemen) recommending this, was immediately sent to America, and after careful
investigation of the subject, the arret of the 29th of December, 1787, ratifying the abatement
and promising a further one if the French King found such a proceeding of mutual benefit, was
passed.
" But the measure in this form had a contrary effect from what was intended. 'The English,.
says Jefferson, t 'had now begun to deluge the markets of France with their whale oils; and they
were enabled, by the great premiums given by their Government, to undersell the French fisher1
man, aided by feebler premiums, and the American, aided by his poverty alone. Nor is it certain
that these speculations were not made at the risk of the British Government to suppress the
French and American fishermen in their only market. Some remedy seemed necessary. Perhaps
it would not have been a bad one to subject, by a general law, the merchandise of every nation
and of every nature to pay additional duties in the ports of France, exactly equal to the pre-
miums and drawbacks given on the same merchandise by their own Government. This might
not only counteract the effect of premiums in the instance of whale oils, but attack the whole
British system of bounties and drawbacks, by the aid of which they make London the center of
commerce for the whole -earth. A less general remedy, but an effectual one, was to prohibit the
oils of all European nations ; the treaty with England requiring only that she should be treated
as well as the most favored European nation. But the remedy adopted was to prohibit all oils,
without exception.' J And this on the 20th of September, 1788, only nine months from the passage
of the former law. §
"Through the exertions of Jefferson this error, political as well as commercial, was remedied,
and in December, 1788, the abatement of duties on oils was so arranged as to make the American
" * 'Nine families only, of thirty-three persons in the whole, came to Dunkirk.' — (Jefferson, ii, 519.)"
" t Jefferson, ii, 520."
" t Jefferson, ii, 521. ' The annual consnmption of France, as stated by a person who has good opportunities of
knowing it, is as follows :
Tons.
'Paris, according to the registers of 1786 1,750
'Twenty-seven other cities, lighted by M. Sangrain 500
' Rouen 312$
' Bordeaux 375
'Lyons 187J
' Other fit i es. tor leather and light 1,875
5,000'"
" $ Jefferson states (ii, 523) that before the war Great Britain had less than 100 vessels engaged in whaling, while
America employed 309. (This doea not take into account Sag Harbor, New York, nor the very important fishery from
Newport, Providence, and Warren, in Rhode Island, which Mr. Jefferson seems to have overlooked in his report.) In
1788 these circumstances were reversed, America employing 80, and Great Britain 314."
140 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
and the French on the same footing, aud cut off all danger of overstocking from European rivals,
and in January, 1789, this arrangement received its legal ratification.*"
REVIVAL OF AMERICAN WHALING IN 1789.— "The revival of the business in the United
States, and the growing scarcity of whales in the waters heretofore mostly frequented, made the
equipping of larger vessels a necessity, and from the sloops and schooners which formerly composed
the greater portion of the whaling fleet an advance was made to brigs and ships and the field
.still farther extended.! The sperm whale being of the most value, the effort to encompass his
capture was greater; and he was pursued, as he fled from his old haunts, till the Pacific Ocean
was attained-! At Nan tucket the number of vessels soou increased to such an extent that it
became necessary to go abroad for men to man them, aud some Indians and a large number of
negroes were brought from the main land to aid in filling the crew-lists. Ups and downs the business
had then, as it ever has since. A presumed prosperity induced competition, the markets became
glutted, and oil was sold at less than the cost of production. The price of whalebone became
reduced to 10 cents per pound and less, instead of commanding a dollar, as it did prior to the Revolu-
tion. The disturbances beiween England and France, and the internal commotions to which the
latter country was subjected, effectually aunnled the effect of the French arret of 1789. So dis-
astrously did these things affect whaling that the quarrels of France and England forced many
Nantucket men to .sell their vessels, others to dismantle and lay theirs up, while a few still held on,
some making a little profit, the majority suffering a severe loss."
TROUBLE WITH FRANCE. — "In 179S§ came the threats of disturbance between France and the
United States. French privateers, in the excess of their zeal, preyed upon American commerce as
well as upon that of the powers with whom they were in direct conflict. A large number of vessels
fell victims to these depredators, and the friendly relations existing some what precariously between
France and the United States became nearly supplanted by a state of actual warfare. The whal-
ing interest, as usual, was among the earliest sufferers. Early in 1799 many parties in Nautucket
sold their ships rather than fit them out at the risk of capture. News began to reach the island
that vessels were already captured, and the business of the islanders, both in fishing and trading,
almost, ceased. Instead of fitting out a dozen ships for whaling but two or three were fitted, and
sadness and gloom shrouded every face. The difficulties were finally adjusted aud business
resumed its old channels, but the losses which the unfortuuate Nautucketers sustained by the
unjustifiable, piratical depredations, though settled to the satisfaction of our Government and
duly receipted for, with others, by the United States, have never been remunerated, while some
of the unlucky owners, officers, and underwriters, in comfortable circumstances at the commence-
ment of these troubles, lost their little property, the accumulations of years, and died in poverty. ||
" * Jeft'erson, ii, 539. When the arrct of 29th December, 1787, was drawn up, the first draft was so made as to
Delude all European oils, but at the very moment of passing it. they struck our 1 he word ' European,' so that our
oils became involved. ' This, I believTe,' says he, ' was the effect of a single person in the ministry.' "
"tSag Harbor re-eutered the business in 1785 : New Bedford in 1787 or 1788."
" t In the Pacific the Americans had been preceded by the Amelia, Captain Shields, an English-fitted ship, manned
by the Nantucket colony of whalemen, aud sailing for that ocean from London in 1787, her first mate, Archelus Ham-
mond, killing the first sperm whale known to have been taken in that ocean.
" In Jefferson's report he enumerates three qualities of oil : 1, the sperm ; 2, that from the ordinary right whales ;
3, that from the right whales on the Brazil Banks, which was darker in color and of a more offensive odor when
burned than from No. 2."
"§The Boston papers of 1796 reported that the Carisford frigate had arrived at the Cape of Good Hope from Eng-
land with credentials constituting General Graig governor of the colony, the limits of which were to be so arranged
,as to cut off other nations from part ieipation in the Delago Bay fishery. "
"1| The subject of the French spoliation is one to which the people of Nantucket have been particularly sensitive.
Isolated communities are more liable to feel that the injustice done to one is an injusutice to all ; bence, although com-
paratively few of the islanders suffered from the depredations of the French, or rather from the apparent breach of faith
THE WHALE FISHERY. 141
These unauthorized cap lures were not confined exclusively to the French, for in 1800 the Spanish
authorities at Valparaiso, emulating- the hostility to a power ostensibly at peace with them which
the French had shown, .seized and condemned tlir whale ships Miautonomah, of Norwich, and
Tryal, of ISantuekct."*
THE WAR OF 1812 AND ITS EFFKCTS ON THE WHALE FISHERY. — " From this time till the
opening of the second war with England whaling was pursued with a gradually-augmenting fleet.
And this in the face of the uncertainties which the increasingly critical state of affairs between
the United States and England occasioned. In JSOU Xautucket added five ships to her fleet, and
Xew London sent her first large vessel,t and in 180G the quantity of oil imported into the country
was considerably in excess of the consumption.
"The embargo act of 1807 almost suspended the pursuit, not so much by actual proscription
as because of the impossibility of effecting insurance upon the vessels, but it soon received another
impetus on account of the prospect of a general peace throughout Europe.
"The commencement of the war of 1812 found a large portion of the whaling fleet at sea.
Trusting that the causes of contention between England and America would be removed without
the necessity of a final appeal to arms, many owners had fitted out their ships. This was particu-
larly the case at Nautucket, from which port a large proportion of the fleet had sailed for the
Pacific Ocean on voyages varying from about two years to two years and a halt'.f AVith the recep-
tion of the news of the declaration of war a large portion of the vessels in the North and South
Atlantic, and some of those in the Pacific, turned their prows homeward, hoping to make the
home port before the seas swarmed with letters-of-marque and national vessels of war. Many of
these vessels from Nantucket, on arriving home sailed thence immediately for Boston, Newport,
Xew Bedford, or some other fortified port, where they could ride out the storm of war in security.
After the month of July, 1812, was ushered in, reports of the capture of whaling vessels came
thick and fast to Nautucket.§ First came the news of the taking and burning of the schooner
ou the part of a Government bouud to protect them and their interests, all felt that seeming injustice as a personal
matter. In a letter to the Hon. George McDuffie, giving an account of the claims of Nantiicket in this behalf, unh-
lished in the Warder of May 'JO, 1846, the following is described as the actual condition of the claimants and character
oltho demands:
" 'Ship Joanna. Coffiu, taken with 2,000 barrels of oil on board ; value of ship and cargo, $40,000 ; one of the origi-
nal owners still living — seventy-five years old and poor ; one of the crew also living, poor ; the master and mate died
recently, poor; children still surviving; rlnim mrrraold. Ship Minerva, Fitch, 1,500 barrels of oil on board; value,
$30,000; one of the original owners living — sixty-eight year old, 7100)-; master still alive — seventy-eight years old. with
small means and many dependents; one of the crew alive, /mor : claims ni-nr sold. Ship Active, Gardner, 3,000 barn-Is
of oil on board ; value, .^")0,000; same owners as Minerva witli i aptain ; Captain Gardner died two years ago, at the
age of eighty-five, leaving a large family and grandchildren; dtiims never soJfl. Ship Arm, Coffin (in merchant serv-
ice); loss of ship, $10,000 ; the captain left a large family in slender circumstances; one of "the underwriters died a
few years since in the almshouse, who, at the time of the capture, stood high among Nantucket merchants; claims
ii i i-ir sold.'
" Speaking in the interest of the whale fishery, it may be safely asserted that the people of Nantucket view with
regret and disappointment what they consider the gross injustice showed to them (with others) in putting off, upon
untenable pretests, the settlement of these demands. The stern logic of poverty and the almshouseis keener than the
sophistries of politicians. The Fox, of New Bedford, Capt. Coffin Whippey, captured in 1796 with 1,500 whale and
500 sperm, was another case. In 1853 Captain Whippey — captured a second time in 1798 — was living, but dependent
upon charity."
" * The Miautonomah was a new ship, on her tirsi voyage."
" t In 1794 the ship Commerce, of East Haddam, was fitted for a whaling voyage, and sailed from New London on
February (j of that year. In 1770 Capt. Isaiah Kldridge, of the sloop Tryall, of Dartmouth, spoke, among other whale-
men on the Davis Strait ground, Thomas Wioctmi (Wigginf), of New London."
See Macy, 161-2-3."
• .1 When war seemed inevitable the ship-owners of Nantucket held a nuetiug to take into consideration the. snli-
jecr oflmv. to In ^ secure the- fleet from rapture. It was proposed to request the British minister at Washington to
use his influence with his Government to .ihtain from Iliein in iniiy from capture of whale ships liL-loiiging to tho
island. This plan was ultimately abandoned, the majority of tLu owners being of tta opinion that 'the prospect of
success was too faint to warrant the attempt.'— (Macy, 165.)"
142 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Mount Hope, David Cottle master. In quick succession they learned of the capture of the Alli-
gator, Hope, Manilla, Ocean (brig), Eauger, Fame,* Eose, Kenown,* Sterling, Edward, Gardner,
Mouticello, Chili, Eebecca, and others, and it may be easily imagined that the prospect for the
islanders had but little in it that appeared encouraging. New Bedford, too, although at this time
her interest in this business was far less than that of Nantucket, suffered from the capture of her
whaling vessels.!
" Again did war put an effectual stop to the pursuit of whaling from every port of the United
States save Nantucket, and again were the inhabitants of that town, knowing no business except
through their shipping, compelled to strive to carry their commercial marine through the tempest
of fire as free from complete destruction as possible. A new source of danger presented itself.
Prior to the declaration of war between Great Britain and America our whalemen on the coast of
Peru}: had often suffered from piratical acts of the Peruvian privateers, being continually plun-
dered and cut out from Chilian ports, whither they had gone to recruit. The chronic state of
affairs on this coast beiiig one of war, the Government of the United States had sent the Hon. Joel
E. Poinsett, of South Carolina, to those parts to see that American commerce was suitably pro-
tected, but for several mouths his remonstrances had been worse than useless. The declaration of
war between England and the United States gave the Peruvian corsairs a fresh pretext for the
exercise of their plundering propensities. They claimed that they were the allies of England, and
as such were entitled to capture the vessels of any power with which she was at war. An expedi-
tion was equipped by tbe authorities of Lima and sent on its marauding way. This army suc-
ceeded in capturing the towns of Conception and Talcahuano. In the latter port was a large num-
ber of American ships, many of them whalemen, who, having obtained their cargoes of oil, had put
in to recruit with provisions and water before making the homeward voyage. Among these were
the ships Criterion, Mary Ann, Monticello, Chili, John and James, Lima, Lion, Sukey, Gardner,
President, Perseverance, and Atlas, of Nantucket.
" This was in April, 1813. These vessels were detained in the harbor by the Limian armament,
which consisted of two men-of-war, with about 1,500 troops. Having found a bag containing about
$800 on board the President, they carried her captain, Solomon Folger, ashore under a guard and
imprisoned the remaining officers and crew, excepting the mate, one boat-steerer, and the cook.
"Learning of this condition of affairs, Poiusett immediately joined the Chilian army and
directed its movements. On the 15th of May a battle was fought between the, contending forces near
the town of San Carlos, but when the day had closed neither side could claim the victory. Taking
advantage of the cover of the night, Poinsett put himself at the head of four hundred picked men,
with three pieces of light artillery, and, leaving the main body, marched directly to Talcahuano,
whither the enemy had withdrawn. The town was immediately carried by storm and the detained
whalemen were released.§ Some of the ships having had their papers destroyed, Poinsett fur-
nished them with consular certificates. The friendly regard for the United States which diplo-
"*The Fame was used in the English lishery, and the Renown, under the name of Adam,' while engaged in the
same pursuit under the same flag, went ashore on Deal beach and bilged in 1824 or 1825.
"In 1812 the brig Nauina. Capt. Valentine Barnard, of New York, sailed to the Falkland Islands on a sealing and
elephant-oil cruise. The British ship Isabella having become wrecked, her crew were rescued by the Nanina, and
showed their gratitude to Captain Barnard by seizing his vessel and setting him, with Barzillai Pease, Andrew Hunter,
and E. Pease, of his crew, ashore on New Island, one of the group. A protest signed by the four was published iu the
Hudson Bee, and also in the supplement of Niles's Register for 1814."
"tThe ship Sally, Clark master, was captured while homeward bound with 1,200 barrels of sperm oil on board.
Value of vessel and cargo, $40,000. The Triton also was captured, involving a loss of $16,000."
" J These vessels belonged almost exclusively to New Bedford and Nautuckot."
" § See Nantucket Inquirer, August 9, 1824 ; also Inquirer and Mirror, September 14, 1672. In the latter paper IN
au account of the affair written by Capt. Nathaniel Fitzgerald, one of the crew on one of the detained whalers."
THE WHALE E1SHEUY. J.4J
inatic address and persuasion had been unable to obtain, were secured iu a much shorter time
and probably far more efficaciously by force of arms, and Lima yielded to muskets and cannon
the respect she had been unwilling to concede to the seal of the Department of State. Her dep-
redations on American commerce did not, however, entirely cease until the advent of Captain
Porter in those waters.* Soon after this the United States Government, realizing the defenseless
condition of our commerce in the Pacific, dispatched Porter to that locality to protect our interests,
Up to the time of the capture of his vessel he had not only done all in his power in this direction,
but had effectually destroyed the English whale fishery in those seas, and so turned the tables
upon the enemy who had sent out his whale ships well armed and manned to perform the same
kindly office toward our whalemen. J
"Up to the latter part of the year 1813 the people of Nautucket had fished unmolested both
for codfish and for humpback whales on the shoals at the eastward of the island, and by this
means eked out a livelihood which was begiuuing to be quite precarious, but this resort was now
taken from them. An English privateer, during the fall, appeared among the fleet, capturing
one Nantucket vessel and driving away the remainder. In this dilemma a town meeting was
assembled and a petition prepared and forwarded to Congress representing the situation there,
and praying that some arrangement might be entered into l whereby the fisheries may be prose-
cuted, withcut being subject to losses by war.' But no adequate relief was afforded, and the
people found the history of their sufferings during the Eevolutiou repeating itself with a distress-
ing pertinacity and fidelity, and they bade fair to perish of starvation and cold. They eventually
succeeded in obtaining permission to import provisions, but attempts to get leave to sail on whaling
voyages, coupled with immunity from capture, were unsuccessful.
"The return of peace effected for them the protection that all negotiations had failed to secure.
Early iu February, 1815, news came to ^'autucket that the war was over, and immediately all
was hurry and bustle. The wharves, lately so deserted, teemed with life ; the ships, lately dis-
mantled, put on their new dress ; the faces of the people, lately so disconsolate, were radiant with
hope. In May two ships fitted and sailed on their voyages ; by the last of June this number was
increased to nine ; by the 1st of August eighteen had gone, and by the 31st of December over
thirty ships, brigs, schooners, and sloops were pursuing the leviathans in the North and South
" * The Walker, of New Bedford, was captured by an English armed whale ship, but recaptured by Porter. The
Barclay, of New Bedford, also was captured by the Peruvians, and recaptured by Porter."
" t So far as operations in the Paciiic were concerned, the English went out to shear but ' returned shorn.' Wherever .
our sailors went ashore in foreign ports and met English seamen, a melee was a frequent occurrence. An amusing
instance is related of the officer of a whaling vessel incurring the displeasure of an English naval officer in one of the
South American Pacific ports by his zeal in behalf of his country. A challenge was the result. The American being
the challenged party, had, of course, the right to a choice of weapons, and being most familiar with the harpoon,
chose that. They met according to the preliminaries and took their positions. For a moment the English officer
stood before the poised harpoon of our whaleman, then gave iu, and the proposed combat was deferred."
" November 2(5, 1813. Maey, 177. In an official report Captain Porter gives the following lisl of his captures,
chiefly vessels, as he says, engaged in the British sperm-whale tibhtr.v :
Tons. Men. Guns.
Montezuma .. — ... -..- -- - 270
Policy 175 26 10
Georgiana '-SO 25 6
Greenwich 368 25 10
Atlantic 355 24
Rose 220 21
Hector 270 25 11
Catharine - .- 270
Seringapatam 357
Charlton 274 21 10
NewZealander
Sir A. Hammond 301
144 IlISTOliY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Atlantic, the Indian and Pacific Oceans. On the 9th of July, 1815, the first returning whaling
vessel arrived at Nantucket ; in all probability this was the first arrival at any port in the United
States after the war. This vessel was the sloop Mason's Daughter, which, after a six weeks'
voyage, returned with 100 barrels of oil."
8. WHALE FISHERY OF PROVINCETOWN.
BY CAPT. N. E. ATWOOD.
In early days the whale fishery was prosecuted off along the north shore of Cape Cod with
.small boats, and whales were very plenty in fie fiist part of the present century. In 1820, owing
to the scarcity of codfish on the Grand Bank, Provincetown ship-owners were casting about for
new fields of industry to employ their vessels, and five schooners were fitted out to engage in the
sperm- whale fishery. In most cases experienced whalers were engaged at Wellfleet and elsewhere,
but one vessel, the Nero, sailed without having on board a man who had ever seen a sperm whale.
These vessels left Proviucetown about the 1st of April and went directly to the Azores, where they
cruised for a mouth or two. In June they went to the northwestern ground, as it was called (situ-
ated from 100 to 200 miles northwest of Cowo and Flores), and staid there through the remainder
of the cruise, coming home in the fall. These vessels did rather better than the codfishermen.
In 1821 the codfishery was still low and the whaling fleet was increased to twelve vessels, quarter-
deck schooners mostly, the largest of which measured 98 tons (about equivalent to 70, new measure.
ment), and several were over 90 tons. There were the Neptune, the Kero, the Minerva, the President,
the Mary, the General Jackson, the Charles, the Four Brothers, the Hannah and Eliza, the Vesta,
the brig Ardent, and the brig Laurel. The fleet went on the same grounds as in the previous year,
and in August went into the islands to recruit and afterwards cruised about the islands. They
caine home in September and October, having done a fair business, a little better than the cod fleet.
The Nero had the best fare, obtaining 260 barrels of sperm oil, valued at $1 a gallon. In 1822 the
fleet was increased to eighteen vessels, the Fair Lady, the Sophronia, the Olive Branch, the Sev-
enth Son, and the Betsey being added. They accomplished very little, and all returned in the fall
except the Laurel, which went to the West Indies, and the Fair Lady to the Gulf of Guinea, In
1823 the two vessels returned in March from the south, and the brig Ardent went to the Azores,
obtaining 200 barrels of sperm oil, and was wrecked at sea on her return. The schooner Seventh
-Son went to Africa, obtaining very little.
In 1824 no whalers were sent out, nor in succeeding years, until 1830, when the schooner
Fair Lady and the schooner Vesta went to the old ground about the Azores, the former getting
300 and the latter 140 barrels. In 1832 the brig Iinogene, 170 tons, was bought in Boston for
sperm whaling. She went into the ludian Ocean and was absent two years, obtaining 400
barrels of sperm oil. In 183.5 the Iinogene went another voyage to some of the Western Islands
and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1836 the schooner Louisa (Flora?) was added to the fleet. They
went to the West Indies, where they got some humpback whales, then to the Gulf of Mexico,
and later to the Western Islands ; the Louisa obtaining 175 barrels and the Imogene 560. In
1837 the Imogene got 450 barrels in fJie Atlantic and the schooner Louisa 100. In 1838 the
Imogene went to the Gulf of Mexico, getting 400 of sperm and 200 barrels of whale oil. In
1839 the Imogene cruised in the Atlantic, getting 350 barrels of sperm and 250 of whale oil. In
1837 the Edward and Eienzi was bought for black fishing and went on the ground south of the
Georges Banks and toward Cape Hatteras. No whaling vessels had ever been there ln-lbre. and
she found sperm whales abundant, and since that lime the Hatteras ground and the Charleston
THE WHALE FISHERY. 145
ground (the latter farther south) have been favorite cruising grounds for the Provincetown fleet.
In 1840 the Imogene was condemned and four vessels were added to the fleet, the brigs Franklin,
Fairy, and Phoenix, and a schooner (probably the Belle Isle). The Phcenix went to the Gulf of
Mexico (whore she obtained MOO barrels of sperm oil), the others to the Western Islands, where the
I'hceiiix followed them. From that time the whale fishery began to increase. In 1841 there were
nine vessels, one schooner, one bark, and seven brigs. In 1842 there were thirteen. In 1869
the licet had inereased to lift y lour vessels, at which time the whale fishery was larger than ever
In t'oie or since. Ever since ]8u7 the Hatteras ground has been much visited. At one time many
vessels went to the eastward of the Grand Banks, principally for black fish. Three or four went
.\ ear after year. They would be goue from May to October, and sometimes got 250 to 300 barrels.
During the war the whaling business prospered, but began to fall off from 1869 to 1871 as the
whales became scarcer.
9. STATISTICAL EEVIEW OF THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERY.
The American whaling fleet was smaller in 1880 than at any time within the past sixty years,
except in 1875 and 1876. The decrease in the number of vessels has been going on since the year
1846, when there were seven hundred and twenty-two vessels, measuring 231,406 tons, in the fleet.
Accurate statistics for the period prior to 1840 are wanting. Just before the Revolutionary war a
lleet of over three hundred and fifty sail was engaged in this business, but after the war the
number was very greatly reduced. There was a gradual growth in the fleet from this time until
the war of 1812, which proved another disaster to whaling commerce. After the war the business
again revived and there was a steady increase in the size of the fleet.
On January 1, 1844, the fleet belonging to the United States numbered six hundred and seven-
teen vessels, valued at $19,430,000 at the time of sailing, and their entire value at that date, includ-
ing the catchiugs at sea, was estimated at 827,784,000. The annual consumption by the fleet for
outfits at that time was $3,845,000, and the value of the production of oil and bone in the year
1844 was $7,875,970. In 1846 the fleet of vessels had increased in number to seven hundred and
twenty-two, the highest number ever employed in the fishery at one time, and was valued at about
$21,000,000. The entire capital invested in the industry and its connections at this time was
$70,000,000, and the number of persons deriving from it their chief support was 70,000.
After 1846 there was a rapid decrease till 1850, when the tonnage was 171,484 and the number
of vessels five hundred and thirty-nine ; then an increase till 1854, when there were six hundred
and fifty-two vessels, measuring 208,399 tons ; from 1854 till the present time ihe decrease has
been almost constant, the tonnage in 1865 being reduced to 79,696 tons, and the vessels to two
hundred and seventy-one ; in 1875 the decrease was still greater, when there were only one hundred
and fifty-two vessels, measuring 37,733 tons, and on the 1st of January, 1880, the fleet numbered
one hundred and seventy -three vessels, of 39,433 tons measurement.
The most valuable production of the fleet was in 1854, when the value of the oil and bone
was $10,766,521.20, against $2,056,069.08 in 1879, which was the lowest since the year 1828, when
the production yielded $1,995,181.15. The year ending December 31, 1880, was somewhat more
profitable than 1879 because of the success of the Arctic fleet, the yield this year reaching
$2,659,725.03.
The largest fleet in the North Pacific and Arctie Oceans was in 1846, when two hundred and
ninety-two ships were there, and obtained 253,800 barrels of whale oil, averaging 869 barrels to a
vessel. The largest quantity of sperm oil was produced in 1837, 5,329,138 gallons, averaging in
SEC. V, VOL. u 10
146 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
price $1.242 per gallon. The largest quantity of whale oil was produced in 1851, 328,483 barrels,
or 10,347,214 gallons, averaging 45-^- cents per gallon. The largest quantity of whalebone was
produced in 1853. 5.652.300 pounds, averaging 34J cents (gold) per pound.
(a) TEA.DE REVIEWS.
The following extracts, taken from the Whalemen's Shipping List, published at New Bed-
ford, Mass., showing the yearly condition of the whaling industry from 1*08 to 1880, are kindly
furnished by Messrs. I. H. Bautlett & Sons.
The words "imports" and "importations" in these reviews mean the receipts of oil from I lie
American fleet, a'ad do not mean imports of foreign production, but the catch <>!' American vessels
in the various oceans.
Review of tlie tcliale fishery for 1868.— The present year has witnessed the return of the usual number of whalers,
and generally with sal isf'aetory catches, and quite as favorable results as anticipated. The price of sperm oil ruled
steady through the year, while in whale a generally advancing market wax maintained, and in September (owing to
telegraphic advices 1'inm the Heel as late as the middle of August, announcing a failure of the fishery up to that date)
a marked advance was established, and holders of the small stock (17,500 barrels) demanded £1.25 and upwards.
Whalebone, being similarly affected, sold in the summer as low as 85 cents, currency, but upon the unfavorable news
advanced to sl.J-J-J, with sales, and a further advance was demanded. A month later more favorable reports can e to
hand from the fleet in the Arctic, which cast a new feature over the prospects of prices and supply. The season up
to August 23 was a failure, but a few whales having been taken up to that time, some of the ablest masters having
taken no oil, and many vessels left for other grounds; those that remained were successful in taking extraordinary
cuts of oil ; in one instance, the bark John llo\vland, taking 1,000 barrels of oil in four days in the latter part of Sep-
tember, and many other vessels t"<>k an average of 1,000 barrels in thirty days, the laigest. catches being the ships
Reindeer, 1,550 barrels, and the Florida, 1,700 barrels.
Owing to the low prices ruling for whale oil and whalebone, in the early aud middle pai t of the year many of the
ships returning from the North Pacific were put into the sperm and right whale fishery in the Indian and Southern
Oceans, which will account in part for the small fleet to go north in 1869, and many ships will return home this spring,
having completed three or more seasons. So that, as the whale fishery now stands, there will not probably be over
fifty ships of all nationalities cruising in the North Pacific in 1869, a smaller number than since 1863 ; leaving the rest
of the whale fleet, about two hundred and thirty-nine ships to pursue sperm whaling in whole or in part in every
other ocean and sea.
We have no changes to note of employment of ships in the fishery, but add the port of San Francisco to our list
as one of the ports of the United States engaged in the fishery.
The number of vessels from the Atlantic ports engaged in the fishery January 1, 1869, is 220 ships and barks, 23
brigs and 87 schooners, with 73,105 tonnage, showing an increase of only one vessel as compared with last year, hut a
falling off of 1,489 tons, of which 878 tons grows out of remeasnrements by the new system, to which we add 6 vessels
from the port of San Francisco, with 1,414 tonnage, making the total number of vessels from the United States, Janu-
ary 1, 1869, 336, with a tonnage of 74,519, being within 75 tons of that of 1868.
The schooner Etta G. Fogg, of Provincetown, and Money Hill, of Boston, are missing, aud are supposed to have
foundered at sea, the former not having been heard from since sailing, and the latter when only a short time out.
The brig Georgiana, of New London, with 700 barrels of oil on freight from Cumberland Inlet whalers for New Lon-
don, has not been heard from since sailing from the inlet in October, 1868, and it is feared is lost.
The Atlantic whale fishery has been carried on by about as many whalers as in 1867, with quite as favorable
returns. The vessels from Provincetown and ports eastward, comprising nearly one-half the fleet, averaged about,
the same quantity of oil as in 1867, but, owing to the increased cost, of the vessels added, and the reduced price of
sperm oil, the business was not, on the whole, as remunerative.
The "Commodore Morris Ground" proved a failure, hut whales were found quite plenty on other grounds, though
very wild, and several vessels were very fortunate ; nine vessels averaging 400 barrels sperm oil.
The fleet in the Pacific Ocean was nearly as successful as in 1867, those that met with extraordinary luck in that
year having continued to take large quantities of oil, more especially those cruising in the South Pacific, while some
of the vessels cruising on the west coast of South America took good cuts of oil. The fleet will be somewhat increased
the present year, being about sixty American ships, including some of the most successful which are expected to
return home.
Panama has proved a convenient port for transshipment of oil home, there having been quite a number of whalers
there the past year to receive supplies and to ship their oil, amounting to 3,250 barrels of sperm. The reduced price of
freight to 6 cents, gold, per gallou, with prospects of a further deduction, will probably induce more vessels to visit
there in future.
The sperm-whale fleet for 1869 will be distributed about as follows : la the North and South Atlantic about 150
vessels, the usual number for the past, three years, exclusive of homeward bound vessels. In the Indian Ocean, 35
vessels, against 31 in 1868. In the Pacific Ocean, 54 vessels, against 46 in 1868. Total, 239 vessels.
THE WHALE KISHKRY. 147
Tin' tleet cruising in the Xorih Pacific consisted of 58 vessels, of which 7 were foreign, against 101 vessels in
1867; 2 vessels were lost, tin- Corinthian and tin- H,i< Hawaii, i ho former having taken 1,050 barrels oil aud 15,000
pounds bone, which were saved, and the latter, 1,200 barrels oil aud 15, (100 pounds bone, which were lost with the
\rssel. There were also . I trading vessels that visite.d those waters and returned with 185 barrels oil aud 22,500
IK in mis bone.
The Arctic Ocean licet comprised :',7 American and 4 foreign vessels, aud caught 35,005 barrels whale oil and
:.?.'.. -Jtui pounds bDiie, .-in a\eiage of 834 barrels oil aud 14,030 pounds bouo ; whereas, in 1867, 77 vessels caught 50,115
banvls whale oil and SH7.SIH) poniuls bone, an average of 651 barrels oil aud 10,492 pounds boue.
The Oehotsk licet comprised 7 A'licriean ami I foreign vessel, and caught '1,960 barrels whale oil and 50,500 pounds
bone, an average of (i','0 barrels oil and (i,:!12 pounds bone : whereas, in 1-1.7, 14 vessels caught 9,320 bairels whale oil
and 117, '•(>(> pounds bone, an average of 665 barrels oil and S,:.',',i:j pounds boue.
The Kodiac and Bristol Bay licet comprised 17 American aud 2 foreign vessels, and caught 7,635 barrels whale oil
and (18, sun pounds bone; \\hereas, in ls'7, 10 vessels caught 5,465 barrels whale oil aud 47,700 pounds boue, an
average of 511', barrels oil and 4,770 pouuds bune.
The entire fleet of 68 vessels caught 47,600 barrels whale oil and 694,500 pouuds bone, an average of 700 barrels
oil and 10,213 pounds bone, showing a better average than in 1867, when 101 vessels caught an average of 642 barrels
nil and '.t,u'.i3 pounds bone.
The Cumberland Inlet fled comprised 12 American vessels, of which 4 returned, bringing 2,250 barrels whale oil
and :it),OOU pounds bone. The bark Andrews; was totally lost, having no oil on board. The fleet for 1869 will number
about the same as in I,-M|-I ; 7 vessels are wintering there, aud had taken, up to the latest dates, bur live whales.
The year opened with sperm oil dull at $2, aud continued about the same for six months, -when it dropped to $1.75
© Si. -ii, at which it stood for nearly three mouths, when it was put to $2, where it remained for a brief period, aud
when wanted for export in October declined to $1.78 @ $1.75, at which 10,000 barrels were sold.
Whale oil opened at 65 cents, and steadily improved to 82 cents 1st of August, when, under unfavorable news
from the northern fleet, rapidly advanced to $1.1", aud, in consequence of the absence of further reports from the
licet, was still further advanced, with sales at $1.15 © $1.25. After the news of the great success was received, in
October, it was very dull, and closed with sales of 400 barrels at about, $1.
Whalebone opened at 70 ceuts, gold, steadily declined until July, with sales at 60 cents, gold, when an improve-
ment was established aud the market, under the, unfavorable reports, rose rapidly to $1.40 © $1.42|, at which but few
sales were made, and later, upon full reports from the fleet, the market became demoralized, aud receded to 75 © 80
cents, gold, at which large sales were made at the close of the year.
The imports in 18G8 were 47,174 barrels sperm, 65,575 barrels whale oil, aud 900,>s~>0 pounds bone, against 43,433
barrels sperm, 89,289 barrels whale oil and 1.001,397 pounds bone, in 1867, showing an increase of sperm oil, but a
considerable decrease of whale oil and bone.
The exports for 18(18 were 18,916 barrels sperm, 9,885 barrels whale oil, and 707,882 pounds whalebone, against
25,147 barrels sperm, 18,253 barrels whale oil, and 717,796 pounds whalebone in 1867, showiug a marked decrease
especially of sperm aud whale oil, but it should be stated that about 4,500 barrels sperm oil purchased in December
for export have not beeu cleared at the New York custom-house.
The home consumption of sperm oil in 1863 was 19,055 barrels; of whale oil, 72,390 barrels, aud of whalebone,
246,968 ponuds. In 1867 it was 22,986 barrels sperm ; 58,836 barrels whale oil, and 181,600 pounds whalebone, showing
a decrease of sperm oil, but a very satisfactory increase of whale oil and -whalebone.
The stock of oils aud whalebone on hand January 1, 1869, was 13,000 barrels sperm, 16,700 barrels whale oil, and
and 200,000 pounds bone, against 8,000 pounds sperm, 33,400 barrels whale, and 274,000 pounds bone same time
1868.
TRADE I'.EVIEW FOR 1869.
Review of the whale fishery for 1869. — The year 1869 has not proved a satisfactory one to those engaged in the whale .
fishery. It opened with good prices for oils and bone, which were well sustained through the summer, since which
time, owing to increased stocks, depression in business everywhere, caused by the New York gold panic iu September,
and the favorable news from the Arctic Ocean, there has been a general decline to present quotations of $1.55 for
.-perm, 70 cents for humpback, 85 cents for Arctic oil, and 85 cents, gold, for Arctic bone, equal to about $1 currency,
tin- decline for the year being about 2.~> per cent. During the summer about 25,000 barrels refined seal oil were
imported from the provinces ami brought here by our manufacturers, thereby displacing from consumption an equal
quantity of whale oil, which is now held by our importers, and which acroruts for the excess of the present stock
over that of a year ago. The seal oil, which is of inferior consistency to whale, is said to have been largely mixed
with whale aud lard oils, thereby prejudicing {\\,~ reputation of pure whale and lard oils. The increased import of
whale oil in l.-'69 over l.-Ji;-J was mainly owing to the sending home from the Sandwich Islands of oil caught in the
previous years, only about 3,000 barrels having been carried north by the fleet in 1869, against 14,000 barrels in 1868.
The generally unprofitable results of voyages terminated during the year, coupled with the low prices now ruling,
are not favorable to the present fitting of the vessels in port which constitute over one-sixth of our small fleet.
Of the one hundred aud two whalers that have arrived during the year, only about one quarter may be said to
have made profitable returns; eveu those, at present prices, would barely have saved their owners from a loss. .
The new year opens with another reduction in the fleet, both iu number of vessels and tonnage. The whole
number of American vessels engaged in the whale fishery January 1, 1870, is 218 ships aud barks, 22 brigs, 81 schooners,
148
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
with 73,137 tons, against 223 ships and barks, 25 brigs, 88 schooners, with 74,519 tons same time in 1869, showing a
decrease of 15 vessels and 1,362 tons, only 25 of which grows out of remeasurement. As showing the extraordinary
falling off in ten years, we give the following figures:
Ships and
barks.
Brigs.
Schooners.
Tonnage.
1870
218
22
81
73, 137
I860
508
19
42
176, 842
This is an apparent difference of 103,705 tons, but owing to loss by remeasurenient, the actual loss in tonnage in
93,095 tons; showing in the ten years a decrease of 55 per cent. We predict a further deduction in the fleet the
present year, unless prices materially improve. At present there are eight whalers at this port for sale, and a large
number of schooners at Provincetown and other ports.
The Atlantic fishery, taken as a whole, was less successful than in former years, the average catch being 12 per
cent, less than for three years previous, while the instances of good catches have been largely reduced.
We give below a statement of the Atlantic sperm fishery for the past four years :
Number of
vessels.
Total catch.
Average.
1866
150
Barrels.
20, 594
Barrels.
137
1867
154
18, 809
123
1868
150
18 206
122
1869
158
17, 672
112
About one-fourth of the catch was taken in the South Atlantic.
The fleet to cruise in the North and South Atlantic will not probably exceed one hundred and twenty-five vessels,
against an average of three years previously of one hundred and fifty-four vessels; this being brought about by the
reduced average catch and reduced prices, and is chiefly shown in the Provincetown fleet, where seven have already
been withdrawn and fifteen others are in port there, a number of which it is contemplated withdrawing.
The Indian Ocean, New Holland, and Soloo Sea grounds have been visited by the usual number of vessels, but
only a few have been more than moderately successful.
The Pacific fleet has been well distributed on New Zealand and the West Coast, but has not been as successful as
for a few years past ; some have done well but the average has been moderate. Five of the New Zealand fleet changed
their cruising grounds and went humpbacking, and were successful in taking an average of 750 barrels. A single
vessel, the bark Camilla, has been cruising on the old Japan ground with fair success.
The North Pacific fleet of 1869 comprised forty-four American and six foreign ships, fifty in all, the number
anticipated in our last review, agaiust sixty-eight vessels in 1868. Owing to the scarcity of whales in the Arctic early
in the season, many gave their attention to the capturing of walrus, and about 4,000 barrels of oil were taken from
them, and, as in the previous year, it was not until late in August that the whales were found in abundance at Point
Barrow, where all present got good fares of oil, the only barrier thereto being the extreme cold. The catch was large
for the small fleet engaged, and gave an average of 990 barrels oil and 14,000 pounds bone. The fall short in bone is
owing to the walrus oil (which has no bone with it) being included in the whale. Only one vessel went to Bristol
Bay, where she got 500 barrels whale oil and 2,000 pounds bone, and but six to the Ochotsk Sea, where whales were
scarce, the entire catch being 2,575 barrels oil and '21,800 pounds bone, the average being smaller than for many pre-
vious years. The bark Eagle, of New Bedford, was totally lost in the Arctic in September, Laving taken 1,600 barrels
oil and 25,000 pounds bone, the only serious disaster to the fleet. For a number of years the coast whaling has been
neglected, but it is expected that several whalers will this winter visit the bays there, which in former years have
furnished good whaling. The entire fleet visited the Sandwich Islands last fall, except the Florida, which belongs
at San Francisco. In this connection we would invite attention to the following article from the San Francisco
Commercial Herald:
" Of the large whaling fleet engaged in the Ochotsk and Arctic Seas, but a single one visited this port last year,
all the rest having rendezvoused at the Hawaiian Islands. A good many of them found fault with the treatment
accorded by the American consul, and expressed a determination to come here next season. At, least twenty-five will
adopt that course, and it would be good policy to pass some stringent law by which the contracts made with their
crews could be enforced. The Florida is the only vessel that entered the harbor from the Polar Seas. Her oil sold at
a high figure, say 65 <© 70 cents. The bone was forwarded by rail to New York at a merely nominal rate, say 3£
cents per pound, currency. It is said by returned whalemen who passed through this city for New Bedford overland,
in December last, that a considerable number of the whaling fleet will in future resort to this harbor for supplies, & c.,
presenting, as it does, advantages of markets and home advices by telegraph, besides monetary exchanges and facili-
ties that are not elsewhere attainable,"
THE WHALE FISHERY. 149
The Cumberland and Hinlsim liay fishery was very unsatisfactory, but one fair catch having been made of 650
barrels, after an absence of nearly eighteen months. Of the six vessels wintering there, five are owned at New
London, the other at this port. The, brig Oxford, of Fairhaven, was totally lost in the inlet, and the bark Odd Fellow,
of New London, on her passage to I. be inlet.
The Desolation sea-elephant lishery has been satisfactory to those who have pursued it, it being a specialty at
New London.
The Tristan, Cro/.ettes, and Desolation grounds were visited by several of our whalers last winter, where they
found few whales and bad weather, and in two instances ouly were good catches* made.
The fleet the present year will l>e distributed about as follows: In the North and South Atlantic, 125 vessels;
Indian Ocean. H vessels, and Paeitie Ocean, 65 vessels, making 231 vessels, which are chiefly sperm whaling. In
Hudson Bay and Cumberland lulei.i'i \eswls; on Desolation, elephanting, 6 vessels; and in the North Pacific, 44
American and 7 foreign vessels, a total of (W vessels, exclusively right whaling. There are 13 vessels outward bound,
and 11 homeward bound: and of the number to go north the coining season, 18 vessels will be on the fourth, fifth,
and siith seasons, sn\ uuusual number, involving a larger outlay than it' fitted at home ports.
The year opened with a good demand for sperm oil at §1.75, and rose before the close of January to .$2, and the
market continued steady into June, when the price gradually receded to $1.75, after which there was a steady decline
to the close of the year, sales being made at $l.5.~> per gallon.
Whale oil opened at $1 per gallon, and rapidly rose to $1.20, when, upon the spring arrivals with a large supply,
the price gradually receded t,> $1 and §1.05, for northern, at which price it continued steady until the fall mouths,
when it further receded to 85 © 90 cents, which were tho ruling prices at the close.
Whalebone opened at 75 cents, gold, for new, and 80 cents, gold, for old, Arctic, with considerable sales, and
promptly advanced from 85 cents to SI, gold, early in March. During the summer months the market remained steady,
at about $1.30, currency, until October, when sales were made at $1, gold, for Arctic, and 82 © 83 cents, gold, for
South Sea. Since then there has been a general decline, closing at 85 cents, gold, for Arctic, and 75 cents, gold, for
South Sea.
The English review of their oil market for 1869 is encouraging, as it foreshadows a good demand for our staples.
At the commencement of the year the stock of sperm oil was 5,300 barrels, and there was in transit from this side
10,000 barrels, whereas at the opening of this year their stock was but 0,000 barrels and nothing going forward. The
import into London in 1869 was 7,200 barrels from the colonies and 25,500 barrels from the United States, a total of
:>-', 700 barrels, all of which was cleared for consumption excepting 700 barrels. The information received here from
their colonies as well as the Talcahuano Meet (from which they have drawn considerable supply) lead us to believe
that their increased supply for tho pant two years of colonial oil cannot be relied upon for the future. About 4,500
barrels whale oil were imported during the year, and the market closed very firm at £39 © £40 per tun, with but
little remaining in first hands. We think we can safely anticipate a good demand for sperm oil the present year.
The imports in 1869 were 47,<j:>ii barrels sperm, 85,011 barrels whale oil, and 603,603 pounds bone, against 47,174
barrels sperm, 65, 575 barrels whale oil, and 900,850 pounds bone in 1868, showing a marked increase in whale oil,
owing to the sending home of oil taken in previous years, but a decrease in whalebone of about one-third.
The exports in 1869 were 18,645 barrels sperm, 3,842 barrels whale oil, and 311,605 pounds bone, against 18,619
barrels sperm, 9,885 barrels whalo oil, and 707,882 pounds bone in 1868, showing a large decrease in whale oil and
whalebone.
The home consumption of sperm oil in 1869 was 17,239 barrels, of whale oil 56,236 barrels, and of whalebone
197,098 pounds, when in 1868 it iras 19,055 barrels sperm, 72,390 barrels whale oil, and 246,963 pounds whalebone.
The decrease in the consumption of whale oil was consequent upon the large import (and consumption) of seal oil,
which we have reason to believe will not be repeated.
The stock of oil and whalebone on hand January 1, 1«70, was 25,052 barrels sperm, 41,633 barrels whale oil, and
294,900 pounds whalebone, against 13,000 barrels sperm, 16,700 barrels whale oil, and 200,000 pounds whalebone same
time in 1869.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1870.
Review of thr. whale fishery for 1870. — The year 1870, like its predecessor, has been one of poor returns to those engaged
in the whale fishery. The prices for our staples, which at the opening were considered uuremunerative, steadily
declined throughout the year, closing at the lowest quotations of any year since Ijt51. The decline in sperm oil was
owing to the limited consumption of the article, together with a large stock on hand at the beginning of the year, and
the unexpected large import, being about 10,000 barrels in excess of the estimate for the year, while whale oil and whale-
bone were similarly effected by the introduction largely of co , foreign market, caused by the
European war, to which we export largely, especially of bone. We note that while tho importation of seal oil has been
retricted by a higher tariff, that cotton-seed oil has stepped inio its place, and claims its share of consumption, which
i- by no means limited, 75. in HI barrels, it is estimated, having been marketed the present year. But few of the returned
whalers made profitable voyages, whereas most of tho voyages were uuremunerative, and many very much so.
Because of the poor results and low prices, eombined with the high cost, of outfits, many were deterred from fitting
out their ships again, and the fleet at home ports on the new year was largely in excess of former years. Oar mer-
chants do not look upon the future of whaling with enconra- m disposed to distrust it as to its pecu-
niary results, induced more by extra -.es than inherent, having to add to tho list of competitors lard, petro-
leum, and seal oil, that of cotton-seed oil, said by its advocates to bo but in its infancy.
ISO HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
The decline in the number of the fleet foreshadowed a year ago has been realized, and we have not only a smaller
number now engaged, but of that small number fully one-fourth are at home ports.
The Atlantic fishery has furnished less sperm oil than in former years, chiefly owing to the small number prose-
cuting the business there, though, as in former years, some good fares were taken, six vessels in the North Atlantic
having averaged 350 barrels. The fleet to cruise there the present year will be much reduced from that of last year,
and will probably not exceed one hundred vessels.
The whole number of American vessels engaged in the fishery January 1, 1871, is 216 ships and barks, 18 brigs, 54
schooners, with 69,372 tons, against 218 ships and barks, 22 brigs, 81 shooners, with 73,137 tons same time in 1870,
showing the large decrease for the past year of 33 vessels, with 3,765 tons, which proceeds from the withdrawal of
vessels from Newburyport, Wellfleet, Groton, and largely from Provincetown, the entire fleet at the latter port being
27 vessels against 49 a year ago, and of that number it is thought 7 will not be fitted.
We fear that a continuation of the present low prices for our staples will deter our merchants from fitting many
of the whalers in port and to arrive, by which the vessels disengaged throughout the year will be larger than for
many years past.
On the various sperm-whaling grounds the cases of marked success in 1870 were few. Whales were very scarce
upon the grounds around New Zealand, which have been more largely visited the past year because of the previous
marked success there. Many of the sperm whalers visited the several right- whaling and humpback grounds, and met
with good success, more particularly in humpbacking. The Tristan and Crozettes grounds were poor, with heavy
weather, the best cut being 760 barrels on Crozettes, while the average was not probably over 250 barrels.
The North Pacific fleet of 1870 consisted of forty-eight American and ten foreign vessels, of which two American,
the Hibernia and Almira, and one foreign, the Japan, of Sidney, New South Whales, were totally lost, the latter sup-
posed, with all her officers and crew, in the Arctic. As in the two years previous, the whaling was done in August and
September, and the average catch was larger than for many years. Whales were small but very numerous, and it is
said were never more abundant. The catch of walrus oil was very large, being nearly 10,000 barrels.
But one whaler visited the Ochotsk Sea, the Monticello, and took 200 barrels, and Bristol Bay, the George, and
took 400 barrels.
Coast whaling seems to have been abandoned. Ten whalers visited San Francisco, the balance of the fleet going to
Honolulu. A new feature in the transshipment of bone is that of sending it " across the continent " by rail, direct to
New Bedford, at the small cost of 2 cents per pound, currency.
At Honolulu three foreign right whalers have been withdrawn, the business n ot proving remunerative, but in
San Francisco there is a corresponding increase, and a disposition manifested to extend further in this branch of
whaling.
The Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet fishery was fair, the Milwood doing the best, having come out with
1,000 barrels. The schooner Quickstep, of New London, is supposed to have been lost in coming out, with all on
board.
The fleet is now distributed about as follows: North and South Atlantic, 51 vessels; Indian Ocean, 41 vessels ;
Pacific Ocean, 65 vessels, principally sperm whaling ; Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet, 5 vessels; the remaining
51 vessels comprise the North Pacific fleet, 8 of which are outward and 20 homeward bound. The North Pacific fleet
for 1871 will comprise about 40 ships of all nationalities. The total number of vessels now at sea is 213.
The export of sperm oil to foreign countries in 1870 was 22,773 barrels, mostly to London, against 18,645 barn-Is
in 1869, showing an increase of 4,323 barrels; but the stock on hand at London, 1st instant, was 200 tons in excess of
the previous year. The foreign consumption of this article lias not increased under low prices, as was anticipated,
which it would seem was owing to the European war, causing a large falling off in the demand for manufactured
goods, but which we think an early peace will restore. The home demand has materially increased, and we think will
be maintained under present prices.
The year opened with sperm oil at $1.50 © $1.55, and advanced in February to *1.(10, whi'ii, becoming in large
supply, it steadily declined throughout the year to $1.20, closing at if 1.23 © £1. •-'•"'.
Whale oil opened at 70 @ 72i cents, and advanced to 80 cents in February, and in July the price had declined to
67 © 68 cents, when it again advanced to 70 cents in August, after which it gradually declined to 65 cents, which was
the nominal price at the close.
Whalebone was in good demand early in the year at 85 cents per pound, gold, for Arctic, when in May and June
large sales were made at 80 cents, gold, aud since July, when war was declared in Europe, the price has gradually
declined to 65 cents per pound, gold, the decline in price and demand being consequent upon the two large and only
consumers, Franco aud Germany, being a-t war. The export to July IS, when the war broke out, was 285,000
pounds, being nearly equal to the entire previous year, and but for this interruption we should have probably had a
large increased foreign demand, and soon after the declaration of peace we shall expect to see the foreign dealers in
oils and bone turning their attention to our staples at the attractively low prices ruling here.
The imports in 1870 were 55,183 barrels sperm, 72,691 barrels whale oil, and 708,365 pounds bone, against 47,936
barrels sperm, 85,011 barrels whale oil, and 603,603 pounds bone in 1869, showing a large increase in sperm oil and
whalebone, but a large decrease in whale oil. Of the imports of whale oil, 4,013 barrels, and of whalebone, 66,000
pounds, were the catch of San Francisco vessels.
The export in 1870 was 22,773 barrels sperm, 9,872 barrels whale oil, and 347,918 pounds bone, against 18,645
barrels sperm, 3,842 barrels whale oil, and 311,605 pounds bone in 1869, showing an increase in each article.
THK WHALE FISHERY. 151
'flu* home consumption <>l's|>rrm oil in ls;o was •.'.-<. s|_> barrels a.ud of whale oil 64,812 barrels, and of whalebono
-•Jii.'JlT pounds, when in 18(>9 it was 17. '.':!!_) barrels sperm, 5b',236 barrels whale oil, and 197,098 pounds bone, showing
a gratifying increase the past year.
The sMick of oil and bone on hand .January 1, 1871, was 26,650 barrels sperm, 36,000 barrels wbale oil, and
400,000 pounds bone. exclusive of ;;.?.'() barrels whale oil and 27,500 pounds bone held in San Francisco, against
•J."i,0.vj barrels sperm, 41,03:5 barrels whale oil, and 294,000 pounds bone same time in 1870.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1871.
Keru'w ill' tin- wlitilc Jixlicri/for 1871. — We have, to n-cord another year of poor success in the whale fishery, both as
concerns oil taken and pecuniary results, only about twenty-four vessels out. of ninety-one returned having met with
good success in taking oil, and scarcely ten of the whole fleet having left their owners any gains in the net results of
the voyages terminated; the average low prices ruling for oil and bone for the first ten months of the year, when
most of onr arrivals occurred, tending to this result, and the large advance brought about by the almost total disaster
to our Arctic fleet coming too late to change such results. Sperm oil from its own weight of heavy stock on hand at
the opening of the year, and the frequent arrivals during the first half of the year, continued to sag from $1.40 in
February to $1.22 in July and August, when, under a good foreign demand and some speculative inquiry, it reacted
in September and advanced in October to f 1.30, and with a good home demand, stimulated by erroneous views of
consumers in the manufacturing districts, as to the kind of disaster \ve had met with, it was put up to $1.60, where it
stood at the closing day of the year. An impression gained credence with some consumers in this country and Europe
that our sperm-whale fishery was the sufferer, and the whaling business severely crippled ; whereas our wharves had
thiny ships lying at them for sale, and which the loss of ships in the Arctic simply made a partial market for. With
so great a loss of vessels, we have with us for sale at least ten good ships, the owners not feeling willing to embark in
new voyages with them.
The consumption of sperm oil has been rather more than last year, say 56,000 barrels, of which 22,000 barrels were
exported to Great Britain, more than usual going to Glasgow. The London market received from the colonies 800
tnus, which was more than for either of the three preceding years. The stock on hand in London, December 31, was
b'30 tuns, au average of the stocks for the three preceding years, and 200 tuns were also being lauded from New York
for refiners. The home consumption in 1871 was about 34,000 barrels, against 29,000 ban-els in 1870, showing the
increased consumption of 1871 over 1870 to have been in this country.
The import of sperm oil was 8,000 barrels less than was looked for at the beginning of the year, which is due
rather to the poor whaling, and not to delay of the whalers out in returning home. We have a much smaller stock
than for 1871 to open the year with, say 14,500 barrels, and can hardly expect as large an import in 1872 as in 1871, as
the fleet is much smaller, and must so remain for the present, while some few sperm whalers may go to the Aictic
Ocean and some whalers here may be sent to the same place this year. With the low prices ruling in 1871 for lard,
cotton-seed, and petroleum oils, it would seem that sperm oil has its own place to till at a fail price, regardless of
su hsti tines, and better success iu finding sperm oil would no doubt encourage some owners of vessels to fit them again
at present prices. The sperm oil on board of whalers, already caught, is about 33,000 barrels, against 36,000 barrels
the year previous.
There will be an increase in Provincetowu whalers fitted this spring, several of them having been temporarily
engaged iu the coasting business.
The destruction of thirty-three Arctic whalers out of forty cruising in the Arctic in 1871 will work a new
experience to us in the way of importation iu 1872, as but two Arctic whalers will arrive this year, the ships Daniel
Webster here, and Europa at Edgartown, and the arrival of Arctic oil will be only about 2,300 banels. We can
hardly hope to import more than 30,000 barrels whale oil from all quarters in 1872, which would unly give a supply
of 60,000 barrels for the year, against 110,000 in 1871. The market will be cleared before another import of Arctic-
oil can be caught, unless the extreme views of holders may lead to I he importation of seal oil to bo caught this
spiiug, and a supply of cotton-seed oil. which shall make up for our lar<;e deficiency. Since the news was received of
the Arctic disaster wo have fitted and sent to the Arctic six ships, and one from New London, of which four were
toimerly sperm whalers. Of the eleven whalers fitted aud which sailed for the Arctic previous to the news of the
loss, live were sperm whalers; three sperm, whalers have been ordered to the Arctic from speim-whale grounds. The
Faraway, owned in Sydney, New South Wales, has sailed from Honolulu, under command of Captain Herendeen,
formerly of the Mary, of Edgartowu, for the Arctic. TUe fleet of 1872 will com pn- -ix vessels, of which only
three Americans and one Hawaiian were there in 1871. San Francisco will probably have no whalers there, under-
writers in San Francisco declining to insure on them ; their past , ''ing to them almost a fatality, they
having had to pay for every Arctic whaler that has heretofore fitted from Ihai port.
Wha'e oil lias been in good demand, both for home use and export, though the market was a declining one,
Mom 65 cents iu January to 50 © 54 cents in July, and until the November news of the loss of the Arctic whalers,
when the maiket was entirely demoralized, more from insurance and other questions pending solution than any
other pressing want to bay or anxiety to sell at the advance. When the excitement was allayed sales -were made
of Arctic at 75 @ 80 cents, which is the current price. The consumption has equaled the previous year, G4,000
barrels being used here, and 18,000 barrels exported to France.
Seal oil has not interfered with us during the year, ouly one cargo American catch coming to this country.
Cotton-seed oil has been in the market, but the low juices ha\i: unquestionably discouraged the manufacturers of it,
with similar results in their experience as by our whaling owners.
j52 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Whalebone has continued in good demand during the year, although at low prices, the prices ranging from 65
cents, gold, early in the year, to 79 cents, gold, in October, when the ten months' sales having more than aggregated
our imports, and the disastrous Arctic news having come to hand, holders being few in number, put their prices to
$2 per pound. Sales were made of South Sea at $1.70 and Arctic at $1.75 @ $1.85, and the year closed with a stock of
290,000 pounds, held at $1.90 © $2. There can be no import of bone in 1872 except of South Sea and Cumberland,
and possibly an early arrival of Arctic, all nncaught as yet.
There has been a large reduction in our email whaling fleet, and of the thirty-fonr vessels now in port half are for
sale, and some to arrive will probably change hands before being fitted again. Could present prices be assured for three
years to come probably nearly every vessel would go to sea, but with the uncertainty in prices, partly from substi-
tutes and low prices of them, only good prices can be hoped for and not counted upon. There were no whalers in
Ochotsk Sea or on Kodiac last season. The Arctic fleet had done well up to the time of their having been lost ;
whales were plenty and the prospects good for a large average. The oil abandoned with the ships was about 12,000
barrels, and about 100,000 pounds of bone. The natives were at work saving the bone when last seen, and it
is expected that by trading with them that at least 50,000 pounds may be got of them within three years. It is not
improbable that some of the ships may be found near where abandoned, but not at a time nor in such condition as to
make it an object to save them. The salvors would hardly expect to save more than half to themselves of the
property recovered, and good whaling would offer better results.
The Atlantic fishery has been a fair one to the small fleet cruising there. The weather has been rugged late in the
season. The best catch was made by the Commodore Morris, of New Bedford, 1,200 barrels sperm oil in nineteen
months, 550 barrels this season ; others have done well. The South Atlantic fleet have done well sperm whaling and
humpbacking. The fleet took 3,000 barrels humpback oil on the coast of Africa. The Nautilus, of New Bedford,
took 800 barrels, the best catch.
The Indian Ocean and Crozettes have furnished nothing extraordinary ; nor have the Soolo Sea and New Holland
given their usual share of oil. The New Zealand fleet has done well tperm whaling and humpbacking, nearly 5,000
barrels of humpback oil having been taken on Brampton Shoals; the Cleone, of New Bedford, having taken 1,000
barrels. The West Coast whaling has been only fair sperm whaling, while in humpbacking some good cuts have
been made, aggregating nearly 5,000 barrels. Panama Bay was alive with humpbacks in the season of them, and one
coast whaler took 1,000 barrels. Margueritta Bay has not been visited, though in former years it furnished great
attractions to our ArcticTleet between seasons.
Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet has barely sustained its average, though the Ansel Gibbs, of New Bedford,
returned with 1,300 barrels of oil and 22.000 pounds of bone — the only good catch, and paying one, and perhaps the
best paying one of the year in its percentage. The Scotch Greenland fishery was very successful ; they report some
catches of 2,000 barrels to a vessel — steamers.
The Desolation voyages have been a sharer with all the other kinds of whaling in having less oil taken and less
price received than the owners found profitable. The year in a general view outside the Arctic disaster, which was
unforeseen and unexpected, has been fully as discouraging as any former, and if extreme prices, caused by our loss, do
not raise up enemies to our future interest in substitutes, then we may hope for better days to those whose courage
keeps them in the way of whaling because they believe we shall see a return of prosperity in this branch of creative
industry.
The promptness with which the Commercial Mutual Marine and Union Mutual Marine Insurance Companies have
had their resources reinforced by stock notes, the former by $110,000 and the latter by $300,000, shows that our pres-
ent and former owners in whaling, who have come to the rescue to replenish the enormous losses by the Arctic disaster,
believe in a future of whaling, if not as extensive as in the past at least partially as remunerative.
*
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1872.
J?ert«o of the whale fishery for 1872. — The year just closed has been but a continuance of the former one in results,
few prizes and many blanks. With a small and steadily declining fleet, we have been suable to proportionately gain
in average quantity of oil taken or in reaching more satisfactory results. Those who began the year with the inten-
tion of selling whalers have seen nothing so encouraging in the business as to induce them to change their minds,
and though only seven of the fourteen ships then for sale were sold during the year, yet others since arrived have
been sold, and we have now at home ports some seventeen more good whalewliips known to be for sale, their owners
not intending to fit them again. The great loss of whalers in the Arctic in 1871 has been followed by the sale of
twenty and loss of four whalers in 1872, exclusive of ships that have changed hands in the business, aud still we begin
the year 1873 with about one-third of the whalers at home ports for sale, or about seventeen out of forty-eight vessels.
The continued purpose to sell whalers after so great a depletion in little more than a year shows the judgment of
those who have long and successful'y been engaged in the business, viz, that it has become too hazardous, and its
results too uncertain to continue it, when capital is promised a safer employment and surer rewards- in enterprises
on the land, and in our own city, where the products of two large cotton mills equal very nearly the aggregate value
of the imports of the fishery yearly. There are those who think that the Arctic whaling will be given up in a few
years because of the perils attendant on whaling there, where ice has to be encountered, with extreme cold and severe
storms, and from which causes shipwrecks and damage to hulls are very common. This view is confirmed by the
recent action of our insurance companies in charging 3 per cent, extra each season on whalers visiting that ocean, (
ttep long contemplated but now felt necessary by the insmance companies.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 153
The fleet starts to-day with two handred and three vessels in the business, against t\\o hundred and eighteen a
year ago. and two hundred anil eighty-eight two years ago, showing a decrease of 15 per cent, per annum for two
years past. Auother installment of 15 PIT ei-ni. in s.ile of ships during 1873 wo tUink would reconcile interested
parties for tin- time to t ho present condition of the business. Of nine vessels (schooners) added to the flee.t in 1872
seven had previously been temporarily withdrawn, and two were bought to engage in the South Shetland whaling
and sealing business, which was revived last, year with considerable, prolit, the skins being the finest fur seals known.
The 24 whalers sold and lost represented 5,192 tons, while the 9 schooners added show only 706 tons. The fleet
at sea January 1, 187:i, numbers 155 vessels, against 165 a year ago. We had employed in 1853 571 vessels, with a
tonnage of 200,286, averaging 350 tons; in 18G3, 357 vessels, with a tonnage of 103,146, averaging 288 tons; in 1873,
•JO;; vessels, with a tonnage of 47,99li, averaging 236 tons. The comparison shows a large reduction iu number of
vessels, also a reduction in the average size of the ships employed. The largest ileet, in the Arctic Ocean was in 1854,
when 2:>2 ships were there and obtained 1-4,063 barrels whale oil, averaging 794 barrels. The largest quantity of
sperm oil was imported in 1853, 103,077 barrels, averaging iu price $1.24. The largest quantity of whale oil was
imported in 1S.M, :;-Js, isl barrels, averaging 45 cents. The largest quantity of whalebone imported was in 1853,
5. (',:,•_', :;00 pounds, averaging 34 cents, gold.
These figures serve to show how great a change the whale fishery has undergone at horn e and among consumers.
Our entire import of sperm and whale oil in 1872 was about three-fourths of our import of sperm in 1853 and about
one- fourth of our import of whale in 1851 ; and our import of -whalebone in 1872 was about one twenty-eighth of the
import of 1^53.
In twenty years the consumption of sperm oil has reduced one-half, at same prices, 103,000 against 45,000 barrels.
In whale it is reduced five-sixths, at an increased price of 20 per cent., 328,000 barrels against 50,000 barrels; and in
whalebone it is reduced nine-tenths, with an increased price of 100 per cent., 5,652,300 pounds against 500,000 pounds.
We do not get oil and whalebone enough in the average to get our money back, and those who get the largest catches
>mpetitiou prices have failed to make money. And so onr oldest and most successful ship-owners are willing to
.sell their ships. But there are a few firms who, having fine ships and good and skillful masters, are resolute and deter-
•d not to succumb to the untoward elements in the business until they have tested the matter thoroughly, and to
such we believe success will come and should come.
No whaling grounds have been abandoned ; every sea and ocean is at present explored by our whalers. The
Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet whaling was a failure, some seven vessels being there and obtaining only about
I , ..no barrels oil. The bark Milwood -was lost there, the crew being saved, also her cargo of 150 barrels oil and 1,600
pounds of bone. Three whalers are wintering in Hudson Bay and three in Cumberland Inlet.
The Arctic Ocean was visited by twenty-eight American and four foreign whalers, and though the September
whaling, which is usually the best, was a failure, still the fleet averaged 700 barrels oil and 10,UOO pounds of bone.
Xearly 5,000 barrels walrus oil was taken in the Arctic, though some masters, who were disposed to give up walrus-
ing, abstained from it. The bark Roscoe was totally lost, crew saved. The Helen Snow and Sea Breeze were aban-
doned : the former was found by the Jireh Perry, and a crew put on board of her, and sent to San Francisco, where
she has since been sold to the Alaska Sealing Company. The latter ship was recovered again by her crew, and
continued her whaling. The Live Oak, Joseph Maxwell, and Arnolda were badly stove, but reached port safely.
The bark Florence went up to the wrecked whalers and secured the Minerva, also 250 barrels sperm, 1,200 barrels
whale oil, and 15,000 pounds of bone, and brought them all to San Francisco. Other bone was traded for and came
to San Francisco ; in all about 50,000 pounds.
Humpbacking has been successfully carried on everywhere. In Panama Bay 10,000 barrels were taken ; at
Harper's and Tonga Islands and Chesterfield Shoals, 8,000 barrels ; on the coast of Africa, 2,000 barrels ; and around
the West Indies, 2,000 barrels; in all 22,000 barrels and equal to the entire Arctic catch. Not much was done on
Crozettes and Desolation. Only two whalers arrived from the Arctic Ocean in 1872, being of the seven saved from
the fleet of 1871. A fair catch was made sea elephanting and sealing.
The Arctic fleet for 1873 will number about thirty-two vessels. Two whalers only return home, and one goes to
New Zealand. Six ships left this port in 1872 to join the Arctic fleet. One or two ships may go to the Ocbotsk Sea
this year, which has not been visited by whalers since 1870. One firm, who lost all three ships in the Arctic in 1871,
has sent out three to replace them in the season of 1873. There were no whalers on Kodiac in 1871 or 1872. It is
possible Margueritta Bay may be visited this winter by one or two of our Arctic fleet.
Sperm whaling lias been but partially snceessful in the' Atlantic. Several good cuts were obtained, and the
whaling was very fair, but it was poor in the South Atlantic. In Indian Oceau, on New Zealand, and the west coast
of South America, wit* few exceptions, the sperm-whale fleet has been largely engaged in hnmpbacking between
seasons, with good lares, as before stated. As nearly three-fourths of the fleet is sperm whaling, there is a reasonable
prospect of having a good supply, at least so long as whales can be found : and this branch of onr business promises
to survive, as substitutes are not so readily found as for whale oil, and the Ileet is well distributed on all the known
{•rounds for sperm whaling. Some good catches have been secured during the year, ami in most eases were needed
to put their respective vessels in creditable position.
The stock of sperm oil on board of whalers now is about -J7,OM> barrels, against 33,000 barrels a year ago.
Last fall twenty-two ont of thirty-two ships from the Arctic came to San Francisco and seven went to Honolulu,
and two home to Sydney ; fourteen of the San fleet were met there by their agents, comprising some ten of
our merchants, part of them taking their wives with them. In part owing to difficulties in shipping oil home from
there, five ships were ordered to Panama to land and ship home their cargoes ; four were ordered direct to Honolulu,
154 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
ami two, after refitting for the north, sailed to cruise and touch at the islands in the .spring. The high rate offered
for grain freights absorhed all the available ships. The whaler Minerva, saved from the wreck of 1871, was bought
by two of our merchants, and loaded with oil for home. Also the Lagoda and Tamerlane took freight for home.
Sperm oil has been in good demand during the year. The import was 45,000 barrels, 5,000 to 7,000 barrels more
than was anticipated. We consumed the entire amount, and drew on stock at the commencement of the year foi
3,000 barrels. Yet there was a falling otf of 7,000 barrels in the consumption as compared with the previous year.
The price opened high at $1.60, and during the summer declined to §1.35, when in the fall it strengthened to $1.50,
where it btood at the opening of this year. A few sales were reported at $1.52-J © $1.55. The consumption has been
about equally divided between home and foreign demand, and the fall off has been in this country, probably induced
by the abundance and low price of lard oil. With the oil caught and at home we have promise of a good supply
this year.
Messrs. Bowes, Game & Co.'s Annual Market Report, reports the importation of sperm oil into the United King-
dom in 1872 at 3,423 tons, against 3,811 tons in 1871. During the demand from January to April the price advanced
from £91 to £100, and when that fell off it declined in September to £85. The consumption was 3,595 tuns in 1872,
against 3,823 tuns in 1871. The stock on hand January 1, 1873, was 609 tuns against 849 tuns January 1, 1872. The
consumption fell off in 1872 228 tuns, and the stock to open the year with was reduced 180 tons. Messrs. Maclean,
Maris & Co.'s circular shows the imports from the colonies in 1872 to be 722 tuns, being nearly one-half of the import
of the United States.
Whale oil has been in moderate demand with small supply. The import was very small, 31,075 barrels, conse-
quent upon the loss of the Arctie fleet in the fall of 1871. Only two right whalers returned during the year, and the
import was little more than one-third that of the previous year, when it was 75,000 barrels. The supply was 61,000
barrels whale, and consumption 45,000 barrels, against 80,000 barrels in 1871. The consumption of whale oil has not
been reduced by seal oil, for none has come here from the provinces, nor from fish oils, for the catch has been a small
one, not over two-thirds that of previous years, but rather from lard and petroleum, which have been plenty, good,
and cheap.
The year opened at 73 cents for Arctic oil, and eased during the summer to 66 © 68 cents, when humpback oil
arrived in large quantities, and was taken in preference, because of its lower cost, say 60 © 62^ cents. Since the
Boston fire, in which 8,000 barrels fish oil were lost, causing tanners to buy some of our oil, rather better figures were
obtained closing at 68 cents for Arctic, and a small stock of 16,500 barrels of all kinds. There was but little whale
oil exported in 1872, say 1,528 barrels.
The London circulars call the import of whale oil there 80 tuns, and the stock on hand January 1, 1873, 47 tuns.
Also, imports of seal oil there 822 tuns, and the stock on hand January 1, 1873, 152 tuns.
Whalebone was in good supply at the opening of the year, about 285,000 pounds; but with little to come during
the year, or until the new Arctic arrivals late in the year, and which amounted to 132,000 pounds. Only about 60,00(1
pounds came from all other sources, including South Sea and Cumberland. Small sales were made early in the year,
at ^1.90 per pound and then it declined to $1.75 and $1.50 by May, and in June it was sold at $1, gold, to $1.20, cur-
rency, since which it has been steady at $1.15 © $1.20, closing the year at $1.18 for old. The first MX months the
sales were about 50,000 pounds, but when prices got down to $1, gold, the sales for the remaining s^x months were
about 200,000 pounds, of which consumption of 250,000 pounds about 180,000 pounds were exported. A circular issued
by J. A. Sevey, of Boston, a large bone-cutter, shows that he lost by being burnt out in the Boston fire some 10,000
pounds of bone, but was at work again in twenty-two days cutting bone with tools patented by him, and which he
claims are a great improvement on the old method of cutting. Some 60,000 pounds of bone were brought into San
Francisco last fall, which was picked up from the wrecked whalers or traded for with the natives.
London circulars, aforesaid, report the importations-including the catch of Davis Strait and Greenland whalers,
as 90 tons, against 101 tons iu 1871. Stock in London, 357 tons, against 56 tons in 1871. Consumption 111 tons,
against 91 tons in 1871, 107 tons in 1870, and 122 tons iu 1809. The import of humpback bone was 22 tons, and the
stock on hand January 1, 1873, was 27 tons.
TKADK KKVIEW FOI! 1S7U
Review of the whale, fishery for 1873. — The opening paragraph of our last year's review might be copied and would
be equally appropriate in commencing our present, for it has been a year starting with a small fleet, steadily reducing
through the year by sales and losses of vessels, wflh moderate catches, meager net results, no change of purpose to
sell whalers now here, and no new signs of encouragement in the business. A proposition for the sale of a whaler in
more tempting than a proposal to fit one. Of the nineteen whalers in the port of New Bedford January 1, 1873, four
were sold, live fitted for whaling, and ten still remain iu port; of the seven at New London January 1, 1873, one has
been sold and broken up, and the remaining six are still for sale. Of the eleven whalers now in this port that arrived
in l-<7.!, six are. for sale; and of the twenty-one whalers now wintering here not over seven are likely to be fitted.
Of forty whalers to arrive in 1874 probably about thirty will be sent to sea again.
The striking features in the business have been the steadiness of prices during the year, except during the, panic,
the absence of many good catches of oil in sperm and Arctic whaling, the good success in humpbacking in Panama
Bay and coast of Africa, the loss of three whalers in Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet, and immunity from disas-
ter in the Arctic Ocean, not a ship being lost or seriously damaged.
Our present fleet is 171, against 203 a year ago, 218 in 1-C.', and 288 in 1871. The 15 per cent, reduction which
has been going on for three years, and which a year ago we ventured to think would relieve us of an anxiety to
THE WHALE FISHERY.
155
fiirtlirr sell, lias not been realized ; for <ii' the liity-onc whalers at homo, we now want to sell twenty-live at least,
\\liirli is still another 15 per cent, discount we would make on our lleet, and unless we get better catches and better
results in 1874 than in 1873, we can now safely apply lor another reduction in 1875 of nearly 15 per cent. The thirty-
two whalers withdrawn, &c., represented 6,912 tons, and the one schooner added at Proviucetown was 117 tons.
The fleet at sea January 1, 1874, was one hundred aud twenty-three vessels, against one hundred and lifty-five a
year ago.
FLEET.
Tear.
No. of
vessels.
No. of
tons.
1854
668
208, 399
1864
304
88, 785
1874
171
41, 191
ARCTIC FLEET.
Tear.
No. ot
vessels.
Oil.
Average.
1853
108
Barrels.
146, 800
Barrels.
1,349
1863
42
30, 010
857
1873
28
19, 400
700
IMPORTED.
Tear.
Sperm oil.
Whale oil.
Bone.
1853
Barrels.
103 077
Barrels.
260, 114
Pounds.
5, 652, 300
1863
65 055
62, 974
488, 750
1873
42, 053
40, 014
206,396
We have given these comparative figures to show the inclined plane down which whaling is at present going.
Right whaling is not remunerative, and cannot be unless larger catches can be made with smaller expenses attending
them.
The Arctic Ocean had in 1873 thirty-two whalers, and the Ochotsk Sea two, and yet the aggregate catch was
about 21,000 barrels of oil and 250,000 pounds of bone, or an average of 600 barrels of oil aud 7,500 pounds of bone,
worth about $20,000, one-half of which is used up in drafts, refitting for another season, and the expense of getting
oil aud houo home. The past season was a poor one for whaling, being open, free from ice, whales very scarce until
very late in the season, when they were plenty, but the weather became bad; the remaining fleet, after a week of good
work, came out with a fair catch. Six whalers did not take a whale in the Arctic, aud two got not even a walrus. In
1854 fifteen whalers out of forty-eight got nothing, and the season was a failure. The Progress found whales outside
and took seven, making 750 barrels oil; also the Louisa found whales on Kodiac, and got five, making 550 barrels;
and the Live Oak found whales in Japan Sea, and got nine, making 900 barrels. About 6,000 barrels walrus oil was
taken in the Arctic in July. Whalers went farther north this season than ever before. Four Arctic whalers will
return home, and not one has been fitted out during the past year to go to the Arctic, nor will there be during the
year 1-71. From present appearances, with the present feeling existing about Arctic whaling, we should doubt it
anv one of the fleet now out, upon their return home, would be tilted again to go there. About one-half of the
lleet went to San Francisco to refit and the balance to Honolulu, it having become evident that the gains at San
Francisco are not equivalent for advantages the Sandwich Islands have for getting and keeping crews and freighting
home catchiugs. In the fall of 187-J live whalers went to Panama to ship their catchings home; owing to unavoid-
able circumstances the oil was long delayed at the Isthmus, and was, on arrival here, found to have much leaked.
1'anama Bay has been as good whaling ground I he past year for humpbacks as in previous years, about 10,000 barrels
bring the catch there, some vessels getting 1, (Mill to 1,400 barrels each. But little has been heard from the sperm
whalers humpbacking at the shoals and grounds in the Pacific Ocean. On the coast of Africa there were good catches
of humpbacks, some vessels taking .",00 to TOO barrels each.
The (.'rozette whaling was good, but two vessels visited the ground, the China and John P. West, taking 750 and
800 barrels, respectively. Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay whaling was disastrous; the schooner Abbie Bradford
returned with a good catch, and brought news of the loss of the barks Ansel Gibbsaud Orray Tafr, of this port.
The schooner S. B. Howes, of Xew London, was also lost there. Many seamen died with scurvy. The bark Glacier,
of this port, returned with only about 70 barrels. South Shetland. seal ing and whaling was very successful, and another
fleet has gone to complete the work of extirpation.
156 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Sperm whaling has had hardly a better average result than right whaling, but while its catches are perhaps less
in value, its expenses of continuing a voyage are also less. In the North Atlantic many good fares were taken, the
largest being about 300 barrels, whereas in former years 500 to 700 barrels have been reached in a single cruise. In
the South Atlantic less oil has been taken than formerly, though several good catches were made, one vessel taking
600 barrels in sis weeks. In the Indian Ocean and on New Holland, with few exceptions, the whaling has been slim ;
whales were quite plenty early in the year, but the weather was bad ; for the greater part of the year but few whales
were seen. The New Zealand ground has been dry and deserted by whales, only a few ships having done fairly, while
one or two have been fortunate in seeing and getting them. The fleet is small there. The West Coast has but few
sperm cruisers there, and several have done quite well, others poorly. The bark Courser, with 700 barrels of sperm
oil on board, was run down by an English steamer.
All around, the sperm-whaling grounds have not been np to former years in takings, and it would seem that a
small fleet does not increase the chances of a great catch. At present prices for sperm oil, say $1.50, we think sperm
whaling will outlive all other kinds, though even with a reduced catch we find a reduced consumption.
The fleet for the coming year will be distributed about as follows : North and South Atlantic, 50 vessels ; Indian
Ocean, 17 vessels; Pacific Ocean, 31 vessels; Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet, 3 vessels; North Pacific, 27 vessels.
The demand for sperm oil was good during the year. The import exceeded but very little the highest estimate,
and by reference to the comparative statement of consumption of oils, it will be seen that the supply was 53,300 barrels,
against 59,700 barrels in 1872, and that the home consumption was equal to that of the preceding year, while the
export fell off about 8,000 barrels, a little more than the reported decrease in consumption of this kind of oil in the
United Kingdom. The price opened at $1.50 and advanced to $1.57 in February, fluctuated between $1.52 and $1.55
until May, after which it gradually declined until June, when it touched $1.40, and remained steady until the middle
of August, when it advanced to $1.45 © $1.50, remaining at these figures until October 1, when, under the pressure of the
panic, a small parcel of ordinary oil was sold at $1.31, but upon the return of an easier money market in November sales
were made at $1.39 <2> $1.42, and in December at $1.50, with a good demand and closing firm at this price.
The demand for whale oil seems to be affected by the large supply of other cheap oils, such as menhaden, cotton-
seed, and petroleum which is unprecedeutedly low. The home consumption was about 9,000 barrels less thau in 1872,
while the average price was lower. There has been very little life to the market, the cheap oils, such as humpback
and South Sea, seem to bo preferred at the lower prices which they can be bought at, Arctic of good quality being
neglected in consequence, the rule seeming to be that the poorest oil is sought at'trr In-causo of the low prices. A
demand sprung up at the close of the year for the cheaper oils, humpback, South Sea, and coast for export, 50 cents
per gallon being paid for all qualities, in or out of bond, and the same price was offered for the poorest Arctic oil, but
no sales were made. The year opened at 68 cents for Arctic and — cents tor humpback, the market being steady
until June, when 63 cents per gallon was the quoted pric« for Arctic, at about which the market ruled the rest of the
year. The price for humpback ranged from 55 <® 60 cents per gallon during the year for manufacturing. The stock of
this kind of oil on hand January 1, 1874, was about 2,000 barrels. The export the past year was 2,150 barrels, against
1,500 in 1872.
Whalebone opened at $1.15, currency, with a good demand, which continued into February and March, with a
slight reduction to $1. 10, currency, ruling at this price until May, when the demand was good at $1.08 @ $1.12, currency,
for Aetic, and 95 cents for South Sea. During the summer months the demand was good, sales reaching in August
51,000 pounds, when the price advanced from $1.08 to $1.20, currency; for the remainder of the year the demand was
light, and prices receded to $1.10, currency, for old, and $1 for new Arctic. The home consumption was very good,
reaching 155,000 pounds, against 74,500 pounds the previous year. The Scotch whalers did very well taking bone the
last season, and the entire import has been sold, showing the trade in this article in England and on the continent to
be in a healthy condition. About 25,000 pounds of new unculled bone, including 10,000 pounds Japan Sea bone, was
sold in San Francisco at 87^ cents, gold, per pound for export.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1874.
Review of the whale fishery for 1874. — Although the past year has not been one of large profits to our whalemen, we
are able to state to-day that the business wears a more cheerful aspect, with a promise of a brighter future.
The number of profitable voyages arriving was not greater than during the previous year, but, with better prices
prevailing, a more hopeful feeling lias been engendered.
The decrease of the fleet (about 3,400 tons during the year) is gradually resulting in a better average catch,
experience showing that any decided increase in the number of vessels engaged in the business must eventually
bring about lower prices and small average catches.
Of the twenty-five vessels in the port of New Bedford January 1, 1874. three were sold, fourteen fitted for whal-
ing, and eight still remain in port, of which five are for sale. Of the seven at New London January 1, 1874, four
have been sold for whalers and three are still in port. Of the nineteen whaleis now in this port thirteen will prob-
ably be fitted before the close of spring, and of the thirty-five vessels to arrive in 1875 nearly all will be sent to sea
again.
The absence of any unusual features in the business is noticeable. There have been but few losses at sea, and
vessels in the Arctic regions have been quite free from disasters.
Our present fleet is 103 vessels, agaiust 171 a year ago, 203 in 1873, and 218 in 1872, and the number at sea January
1, 1875, was 119 vessels, against 123 a year ago and 155 in 1873.
THE WHALE FISHERY. 157
The fleet in the Arctic Ocean the past summer met with good success during the latter part of the season, fifteen
ships taking an aggregate of 17,480 barrels of oil and 189,500 pounds of bone, being an average of 1,165 barrels of
oil and 12,033 pounds of bone, about double that of the previous year. Three vessels on Kodiak and in Bristol Bay
took '.2,625 barrels of oil, an average of about 875 barrels each, and 7,667 pounds of bone.
The (Vhotsk Sra whaling was a failure, nine vessels taking unitedly but 2,805 barrels of oil and 34,600 pounds of
bone', the whales, lonnerly plenty in that locality, apparently having been exterminated or gone to other parts.
Although occasionally a season iu the Arctic Ocean is partly a failure, judging from the present and past it would seem
reasonable that a moderate number of ships could continue to prosecute their voyages in that ocean for many years to
come, and considering the advancing price of the products obtained, particularly of whalebone, we do not believe our
merchants will allow this branch of our business, once so remunerative, to be entirely given up.
Might whaling on Desolation and the Crozottes has been neglected during the past year, and the number of ves-
sels in Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay has been very small, with a moderate catch.
Iluitipb.-icking has been prosecuted on the coast of South America, in Panama Bay, about the islands of the South
Pacific Ocean, and on the coast of Africa, with about the usual success.
Sperm whaling has made rather a better exhibit than for two or three years previous, although good catches
have been confined rather to certain localities, than general throughout the different oceans. The best account came
to us from the North Atlantic, where a number of vessels took large fares, while many others on the same or adjacent
grounds were not fortunate in finding whales, the distribution of catches being quite unequal. On the west coast of
South America and the oil-shore ground whales seem plentier again and vessels have done well. In the South
Atlantic and in the Indian Ocean the fleet have met with average success, while on New Holland and the grounds iu
that vicinity whales have been unusually scarce. New Zealand has yielded but poorly during the past year, and
but few vessels in that locality are doing well, which leads us to remark that at present there appear to be no whal-
ing grounds that will support a large fleet for any great length of time; and in this respect our errors in the past
should be guides for our future.
The fleet during the coming year will be distributed nearly as follows : North and South Atlantic, 68 vessels ;
Indian Ocean, 17 vessels; Pacific Ocean and New Zealand, 33 vessels; Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay, 4 vessels;
North Pacific, 18 vessels.
The demand for oil and whalebone has continued good throughout the year, the markets having been without
marked fluctuations, and with prices slowly but steadily advancing. With an increased importation of sperm oil
during the coming year it would be natural to look for a decrease in price, but whale oil, considering the present
prospects of lard and other oils, seems quite low ; while whalebone, with a constantly reduced importation, ought to
command good figures.
The price of sperm oil January 1, 1874, was $1.50, having been depressed by the recent panic. It rapidly recovered,
however, and in a few weeks advanced to $1.67^ (the highest prices for the year usually prevailing about that time),
dropping to .$1.60 in April, continuing to decline till June, when it reached $1.50. During the remainder of the year
its course was gradually upward, standing at $1.57 in August, $1.6'2J in October, and closing the year at $1.70, the
highest price reached since the mouth of October, 1869, a period of more than five years.
Whale oil opened the year at 61 cents for Arctic, slightly declining during the summer months, and closed the
year at li?^ cents, at which price it would be difficult to purchase.
Humpback and South Sea oil during the year have varied from 54 @ 64 cents, closing at the latter figure.
Whalebone opened at $1 © $1.10, continued firm throughout the year, and advanced during the fall months to
f 1.25, which price is still maintained.
It will be seen by our last annual review that our estimate of importations for 1874 approximated to the result,
except in the quantity of whalebone, caused by shipments overland during the month of December (about 85,000
pounds), and received here in advance of the usual time.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1875.
7iVnric of the whale fishery for 1875. — The year just closed has been quite free from disasters to the fleet at sea, and
no great changes have taken place in the business. Gains and losses have been about equally divided, the arrivals at
this port during the year showing eighteen voyages that were fairly profitable and sixteen that resulted in quite a
large average loss, but with a revival of business throughout the country we anticipate better results in the future.
Of the eighteen vessels iu port at New Bedford January 1, 1875, sixteen have beeu fitted for whaling and two
are now in port. Of the ten whalers now in this port eight will probably be fitted during the season, and of the
t wenty-live vessels to arrive here this year nearly all will go to sea again. Some vessels may possibly he added to the
licet from the merchant service; but as such ventures are attended with so heavy an outlay for repairs, alterations,
and whaling inventories, it is not probable that many such additions will be made.
The present whaling fleet is 169 vessels, against 163 January 1, 1875, 171 iu 1874, and 203 in 1873, and the number
at sea January 1, 187G, was 137 vessels, against 119 a year ago, and 123 in 1874. Any further increase in the fleet must
necessarily result iu lower prices for oil.
Right whaling makes a good exhibit for the year, vessels in the Arctic Ocean having been very successful, thirteen
vessels taking 18,000 barrels whale and walrus oil and 180,030 pounds whalebone, an average of 1,38-1 barrels oil
and 13,848 pounds of whalebone. Three vessels on Kodiak and Bristol Bay took 3,980 barrels whale oil and 45,430
pounds whalebone, thus making for the fleet an average of 1,374 barrels whale and walrus oil and 14,091 pounds of
e, the lar:j> ;e oi'anv season since the j
158 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
As we stated in our review last year, we do not believe Arctic whaling will be given up, and certainly the whales
have never been plentier on these grounds (ban during the past season. The fleet have all come out safely, except
the bark Desmond, which is supposed to have been obliged to winter there.
A few vessels in Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet have had fair success, while right whaling in the southern
oceans has been neglected. Humpbacking has been very successful on the coast of South America, while in other
in other localities the catches have been m derate.
Sperm whaling has been only moderately successful, there having been but few large catches the past year.
Vessels have done best on Chili aud the off-shore ground, while elsewhere the average has been moderate. A sum-
mary is as follows: On Chili and off shore, seventeen vessels cruised, taking 7,010 barrels sperm, an average of 412
barrels ; on New Zealand, seventeen vessels took 6,095 barrels, making an average to each of 358 barrels; in the Indian
Ocean and on New Holland there were thirteen vessels, taking 4,335 barrels, an average of 333 barrels, and in the
North and South Atlantic Oceans, eighty-seven vessels with a catch of 19,405 barrels, averaging 223 barrels, the last
named being for an average period of about ten months, as many of the fleet winter in port. With any increase of the
fleet a smaller average catch may be looked for, and it will be already seen by reference to our columns that the
number of vessels at sea which have obtained 1,000 barrels or more of sperm oil is smaller than for many years.
The distribution of the whaling fleet for the present year wo estimate as follows: North and South Atlantic.
77 vessels; Indian Ocean and New Holland, 15 vessels; New Zealand, 13 vessels; Pacific coast aud off-shore ground,
23 vessels ; North Pacific, 18 vessels ; Cumberland Inlet, 4 vessels.
The number of vessels estimated to arrive at this port the coming year is twenty-five, of which apparently thirteen
will be good voyages, while twelve will show a loss, the net results being much the same as for the past few years.
The demand for oils and bone has been fair throughout the year past. Sperm oil opened in January at $1.70,
with a very small stock on hand, and was held at $1.80 © $1.85 in March, and at $1.90 in April. Few sales could be
effected at these figures, and the price gradually declined to $1.4? © $1.50 in midsummer, remaining at about these
figures until December, when it advanced to $1.60, closing the year at that price, at which, however, there were more
sellers than buyers. Whale oil opened the year at 67* cents per gallon for Arctic, advancing to 70 cents in January,
declining to 63 © 65 cents in May and June, and in September advancing again to 70 cents, at which price it con-
tinued to the close of the year. Humpback and South Sea oils have continued at 60 © 65 cents through the year,
with little variation. Whalebone opened at about $1.20 per pound for Arctic, and continued firm during the year,
advancing in the fall months, and finally closing at $1.30.
By reference to our last year's review it will be seen that onr estimate of importations are not far from the result,
except in whalebone, caused by shipments overland in advance of the usual time. Onr figures are made after careful
consideration, and we are not swayed by the interests of either importer or purchaser.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1876.
Review of the whale fishery for 1876. — During the year but few disasters were reported among whalemen until late
in the fall, when news reached us of the destruction of a number of the Arctic fleet, and the probable loss of many
lives, which cast a cloud of sadness over the community.
Tbe success of the business the past year has been fair, the arrivals at this port showing nineteen profitable voy-
ages, while fourteen resulted in a loss, this being fully up to the average of late years.
The building of ships for the whaling service marks a new era in the business, and is an encouraging feature.
We welcome them as adding to the character of the fleet, which has suffered of late by the adding of worn-out mer-
chant vessels which obtain insurance at the same rates as new ships just from the stocks.
The present whaling fleet, after deducting the recent losses in the Arctic Ocean, is 172 vessels, against 169
January 1, 1876, 163 in 1875, and the number at sea January 1, 1877, was 146 vessels, against 137 a year ago, and 119
in 1875. Five barks are being built for the business, aud others will follow, while from the merchant service there
is a prospect of adding a number of vessels, thus making the fleet larger than it has been for years. Should the catch
be proportionate to the number of vessels in the business, the importation of oil would be in excess of the demand,
but all our past experience has shown that, with an increase of the fleet, many of the whaling grounds are over-
crowded, and the result is a smaller average to each.
The Arctic Ocean has again been a scene of disaster. Of a fleet of twenty vessels, twelve were lost or abandoned
in the ice, and while the masters with most of the officers and crews were enabled to escape, more than fifty men were
left behind who were unequal to the exertion necessary to save their lives. But the sad and fatal result of pushing
too far north will, we hope, be a lesson to our whalemen in future not to venture where there seems hardly a chance
of escape when opposing circumstances arise.
The average catch of the vessels not lost,, including two on Kodiak and Bristol Bay, was 656 barrels oil aud 4,225
pounds whalebone, aggregating to eight vessels 5,250 barrels oil and 33,800 pounds of Done. A few vessels cruised in
Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet with fair results. Humpbackiug has been neglected the past year, except on the
African coast, where the catches were unusually good.
In sperm whaling the success has been varied, vessels having been fortunate in the North Atlantic, on Chili a.nd
the off-shore ground, while in other quarters the catch has been moderate or quite small. In the North Atlantic
upwards of 13,000 barrels of sperm oil were taken, a larger yield than for many years. Whales were plenty, and
many vessels took large fares. On Chili aud the off-shore ground the fleet were very successful, nearly every one
getting an uuu.sual calch, \vliilc on \e\v Zealand the results have been moderate. On the River Plate a few vessels
did very well, but the majority took but lit lie oil, aud on the Congo River, with two or three exceptions, the fleet
TIIE WHALE FISHERY. 159
has doue poorly, it being a small ground and overcrowded with vessels. In the Indian Ocean we cannot report
anything better, there being too largo a floet, and consequently tbo catch lias been very small. There is a growing
tendency of late years for ships to congregate on small grounds, in order to look for the oil which somebody caught
the previous year, and a persistenee in I his course ruins our best whaling opportunities. The success of the vessels
in the Pacific Ocean is largely due to their character and appointments. They are the crack ships of the fleet, have
in m many years in the service, ami cnu>r,[uciitly have vastly superior opportunities for being well commanded,
officered, and manned.
For the coming year the whaling Meet will lie distributed about as follows: North Atlantic, 80 vessels; Congo
Kiver and coast of Africa, 20 vessels; Indian Ocean, 10 vessels; Xe\v Zealand, !."> vessels; Chili and off shore, 20
vessels; Sooloo Sea, :: vessels ; North Pacific, 20 vessels; Cumberland Inlet and Hudson Bay, 5 vessels.
The number of vessels expected to arrive at this port the coming year is twenty-two, of which nine will appar-
ently make good voyages.
Oil and bone have been in moderate demand. Sperm oil opened the year at $1.60, declined to $1.4-2 in April, $1.30
in May, $1.25 in the summer mouths, and in the fall advanced to $1.40 per gallon, which was maintained to the close
of the year. Whale oil opened at 70 cents, declined to 58 cents in the summer and fall months, and in October ad-
vanced to 70 cents, at which price the year closed. Humpback and South Sea oils have corresponded to the price of
whale, selling generally at 5 cents less per gallon. Whalebone, from $1.30 in January, advanced to $1.150 in February,
and $2 in March, at about which figure it continued till news reached us in October of the loss of the Arctic fleet,
when it advanced to $-2.50 and later to $3.50 per pound, at which price the year closed.
TRADE RKVIEW FOR 1877.
Rerieio of the while fishery for 1877.— The past year has been free from especial disasters, and there have been no
changes in the business worthy of note, except the continued additions made to the fleet.
Ship building has revived, ami twelve whalers were built during the year, it being now apparent that at the
present prices new vessels can be built cheaper than merchantmen can be altered into whale ships.
The present whaling fleet is one hundred and eighty-seven vessels, against one hundred and seventy-two January
1, 1H77, one hundred and sixty-nine in 1876, and one hundred and sixty three in 1875 ; but, although the increase is
mostly in the sperm-whale fleet, the catch of the past year is not greater than for 1870, on account of some of the
grounds being overcrowded with vessels. The present tendency being to cruise on those grounds nearest home, so
that the catchings may bo shipped at the earliest moment, we find in the North and Smith Atlantic Oceans a fleet of
one hundred vessels, while the more fruitful grounds of the Pacific Ocean, Japan, New Zealand, and Sooloo Sea are
almost neglected. The constant shipments of sperm oil have been largely instrumental in reducing the price to the
present, figures, which are the lowest reached for many years, and are innch below the cost of catching oil, excepting
the vessels that are very fortunate.
The frequenting of ports in order to ship oil is the cause of a large part of the expenses to which whaling voyages
are subject, and occasions the loss of officers and crews. In view of these facts and the low prices of sperm oil now
ruling, we understand several of our merchants have advised their vessels to retain their oil on board when possible,
and no doubt this example will bo followed by others.
The North Pacific whaling fleet was very successful the past season. The catch was small until September, when
whales were found plenty, and large fares were taken. Three vessels were lost, and sixteen vessels came out with an
average of 1,065 barrels of oil and 8,550 pounds of whalebone. Arctic whaling is now safer, because of caution bor-
rowed from the experience of the past, and we trust it will be long before we record any unusual losses in that ocean.
In Hudson Bay and Cumberland Inlet but few vessels have cruised. In the South Atlantic many sperm whalers,
on account of the low price of sperm oil, ha\c tried right whaling with good success, the value of the whalebone
being the chief incentive. About a dozen vessels have cruised for humpback oil, with good success, their total catch
being 5,500 barrels,
In sperm whaling the results were varied, the catch in the North Atlantic Ocean being 13,500 barrels by eighty-
two vessels, the largest fare taken for many years. The vessels that were well pointed were generally successful, but
the presence of so large a fleet in one locality will result soon in smaller catches, and the experience of ten years ago
is likely to be repeated.
The fleet on Chili, the off-shore ground, New Zealand, and in the Sooloo Sea have taken good catches. In the
South Atlantic vessels have had fair success, the fleet being rather large, and in the Indian Ocean, with too large a
licet, but little oil has been taken. At the present time not a vessel is cruising in the Western Pacific Ocean and
Sooloo S,-a, and those excellent grounds bid fair to be entirely neglected. Large catches of sperm oil are becoming
infrequent, aud it is noticeable that during the past year no vessel has obtained 1,000 barrels, while in previous
v-ars several vessels have generally exceeded that quantity.
Oils aud bone have been in fair demand throughout the year. Sperm oil opened in January at $1.40 per gallon,
declined to $1.31 in February, $1.28 in March, $1.13 in June, $1.12 in August, $1.10 in November, and to $1.03 in
December, closing the year at $1.03J, the lowest, prices that have ruled for mure than twenty years. Arctic whale oil,
from Tu cents in January, gradually declined to 60 cents in July, at which price it closed the year. Humpback and
South Sea oils have ruled at from 5 to 10 cents per gallon less than Arct ic.
Arctic, whalebone opened the year at s;!..">o per pound, declining to $•>.:,(! in August, and to about £2 in October,
"losing tli, il.oiit the latter figure. South S, .1 « halobone lias ~.,ld at from $1.25 to $1.70 per pound.
160 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1878.
J/erieif of the whale fisher;/ for 1878. — The result of the year's business is far from being satisfactory, the catche* of
the fleet having been moderate aud the prices of oil low. Of the vessels arriving during the year a majority had taken
too small a quantity of oil to reimburse their cost even at higher prices, aud those which brought good voyages netted
but little profit to their owners. The number of disasters to the fleet has not been large, good weather having gen-
erally prevailed except iu the North Atlantic Ocean, where, during the past few months, storms have been unusually
severe. The new vessels added recently have improved the general character and average quality of whale ships,
but it is to be regretted that so many vessels in an unseaworthy condition are sent out upon whaling voyages.
The whaling fleet at present numbers one hundred and eighty-six vessels, against one hundred and eighty-seven
a year ago, aud one hundred and seventy-two in 1877. The increase during the past four years has resulted iu losses
to those engaged in the business, and the average catch on the different grounds has been sensibly diminished, while,
to add to the existing depression, there has seemed to be almost a rivalry as to whom shall oftenest ship home their
oil, aud thus assist in reducing prices already too low.
The results of sperm whaling have not been encouraging. With too largo a fleet on nearly all the grounds, catches
have everywhere been small, with the exception of a few good fares in the high latitudes of the North Atlantic, and
off Patagonia on either side of Cape Horn. The total amount of the catch reported during the year is several thou-
sand barrels less than during 1877, and it is evident that with the continued scarcity of whales there must be a large
reduction in the fleet to make the business profitable.
In right whaling, although the amount of oil and bone taken was not large, the result has been better on account
of the unprecedented high price of whalebone. The Arctic Ocean fleet lost but one vessel, and averaged 856 barrels
of oil and 7,3*2 pounds of whalebone. Whales were not abundant, but, considering the varied character of the differ-
ent seasous, it may be presumed that, with occasional fortunate years, whaling in that ocean will continue to be
profitable. South Sea right whaling is attracting increased attention, and there is no reason why the Antarctic
grounds should not be compelled to disgorge their valuable stores of whalebone. We expect during the next decade
to see profitable whaling grounds brought to light in the high latitudes of the south, and success reward those who
are pioneers in the enterprise. A number of whalers are wintering iu Hudson Bay aud Cumberland Inlet, several
of which cruised off Greenland for right whales during the summer, but without success. No doubt whales will yet
be taken in great numbers around Spitsbergen and Nova Zernbla, where the English and Dutch ships took such large
quantities of oil and bone during the early part of the present century, and the field remains open for those who will
assume the risk. Many vessels have been humpbacking daring the year on account of the unusually low price of
sperm oil, aud have met with fair success.
We are pleased to note an increased traffic between New Bedford aud the Azores, but regret to learn of greater
stringency at those islands in the enforcement of tobacco regulations. When ships are detected in smuggling it is
but just they should pay the peualty attached, but it seems a relic of by-gone ages to subject inoffensive vessels to a
rigid search for tobacco, and to impose heavy fines on such as are found with small quantities in the possession of the
crew, for which the master cannot bo accountable. If such arbitary measures are persisted in, our whalemen will
seek other ports for the transshipment of their oil aud the recruiting of their vessels.
There has been no great change in the consumption of oil, the usual quantities having been consumed in this
country and in Europe. In San Francisco there appears to be an increased demand, and all the importations through
that port, both sperm and whale, find a ready sale.
The demand for sperm oil and whalebone has been good throughout the year, while whale oil seems to be
neglected.
Sperm oil opened in January at $1.03J per gallon, declined to 94 cents in April, 86 cents in June, advanced to 90
cents in July, and 92 cents in August, declined to 86 cents in September, 82 cents in October, and 80 cents in Novem-
ber, and advanced to 85 cents in December, closing the year with 87 cents offered, with no sellers under 90 cents. The
price touched in November, viz, 80 cents, was the lowest known for thirty-five years.
Arctic whale oil opened the year at 60 cents, gradually declining to 39 cents at the close. South Sea and hump-
back oils have been quoted generally at about 5 cents per gallon less than Arctic.
The price for whalebone is without precedent. Opening the year at about $2 per pound for Arctic, it declined
to $1.65 in February, from which figure it steadily advanced, closing in December at $3.25. South Sea whalebone has
commanded about two-thirds the price of Arctic.
Referring to our estimate of imports for 1878, it will be seen, especially in sperm oil, that our calculations were
correct, the predictions of dealers and correspondents in neighboring cities to the contrary notwithstanding. We
find it more difficult than usual to calculate the importation for 1879, as the expressed determination of many of our
merchants to retain sperm and whale oil on board their vessels, because of the low price at home, may possibly result
in reducing the importation below our estimates. At the close of 1878 the quantity of sperm oil landed at the Azores
and in transit was about the same as a year ago, viz, nearly 4,000 barrels. The import of whale oil for 1879 will be
lowei' than in any previous year, on account of the sale at San Francisco of about one-half of the catch of the Arctic
fleet.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1879.
Review of the whale fishery for 1879.— The past year has not been marked with any unusual features, except the
low prices of oil that have prevailed. More than the ordinary number of disasters has occurred, bnt no serious
calamity has overtaken any special pori ion of tin- fleet. Of the arrivals, several have taken good cargoes of oil, bn$
the majority have, done poorly.
THE W I TALK FISHERY. 161
The continued depression in whaling interests has at length been checked by UK- retirement of a large number of
\ essels, now lying at, our wharves, assist ed Ivy I hi' general revival of business throughout the country, and it is possi-
1'lc that \\ ith a. nioilorato number of vessels engaged whaling may again become fairly profitable.
The business, however, is siilijeel. to many serious drawbacks, some of whieh, if mil, corrected, liid fair In impair
its success. C'hief among these are the inlliieiiees al those ports where officers ;lnd crews arc constantly leaving ves-
sels, causing a largo expense in replacing them, and the, frequency with which officers arc so nl, out to join ships during
their voyages indicates thai tin1, control of a whaleship is only to a limited extent in the hands of its owners. Bj
united action among our merchants it is possible 10 check these disorders, and protect themselves against the' losses
occasioned by wholesale desertion from whaling vessels, which is too often fostered by those who are in duty bound
to act otherwise. San Francisco being a port of discharge, tho above would not, apply to the Arctic whalers visiting
I hat port.
The present whaling licet consists of one hundred and seventy-eight, vessels, against one hundred and eighty-six a,
year ago, one hundred and eighty-seven in 1878, and one hundred and seventy-two in 1877, showing a, considerable
net increase during the past few years.
Sperm whaling has not been attended with great success, the whales being scarce on nearly every ground, owing
to the size of the fleet. No very largo catches have been obtained, the best fares, perhaps, having been taken in the
South Atlantic, oft' the coast of Africa.
Eight \\haling has yielded better results, the Arctic Heel averaging 951 barn-Is of oil and 1 1,000 pounds of whale-
bone, the best exhibit for many years. One vessel was lost, and two others are supposed to be frozen in the ice.
Even should these' vessels be lost no apprehensions are felt for the safety of those on board, as they are commanded
by experienced Arctic navigators, who are equal to almost any emergency, and the near presence of the exploring
steamer .leannette is an additional safeguard. In the South Atlantic the fleet met with fair success, as did also some
of the vessels in Hudson Bay and that, vicinity. Humpbackiiig has been followed with average success, and is at
present, in better favor on account of the high price of the oil. The price of whalebone has stimulated both northern
ami southern right whaling, of which many vessels have availed themselves to their advantage during the continued
scarcity of sperm whale.s.
The export of sperm oil has fallen off (be past year, principally owing- to the largo purchases the previous year,
1-T'J opening in England with a stock of 20,000 barrels and about 7,000 barrels then being in transit. Of the 35,000
barrels estimated to arrive the coming year, it, is probable the greater portion will be needed for home consumption.
Dining the fall, when the price remained at 71 cents per gallon, our manufacturers purchased freely, it being very
evident that it must advance in sympathy with other merchandise, and they were rewarded for their enterprise by
largely increased siles to consumers at, better rales.
Sperm oil opened the year at (,)0 cents per gallon, advanced to 94 cents in February, and from that time gradually
declined to 70 cents in September, remaining at those figures during that month and through October, advancing in
November to si and closed the year with oilers at an advance on the latter figure, holders, however, asking from $1.05
to si. 10. Present prospects point to a gradual advance during the year, and as it has been proved that the oil cannot
be produced at a l"ss cost than SI. •_';"> per gallon, owing to the heavy advance in the cost of oullits, owners of vessels
arriving will not incline to send them to sea again unless they are confident a paying price can be obtained.
The present stock, consisting of about Hi, 000 barrels, a portion of which is of inferior quality and unsuitable for
export, is probably sufficient to supply the demand until the new oil commences arriving in May, being at a period
rather later than usual.
Arctic whale oil opened the year at 38 to 40 cents per gallon, at which figures it remained until October, when a
gradual advance in oils having taken place, quotations gradually rose to f>5 © (iO cents at the close of the year, there
being uo stock on hand except some lots that have remained on our wharves many years.
South Sea and humpback oil opened in January at, !!5 cents per gallon, declined to 32 cents in June, gradually
rose to 40 cents in October, to 50 cents in November, and 59 cents iu December, closing the year at the latter figure,
a. most gratifying fact after the dcpressii f the last two years.
Arctic whalebone from |3.25 per pound in January, declined to ,s,', in ilareh, f-J.f>0 in June, |2 in .September, and
to §1.90 in November, advancing iu December to s-J.'25, at which price1 purchases could not be effected at tho close of
the year. South Sea whalebone from about $2.50 per pound in January , declined to si .70 in June, $1.50 in September,
and then advanced, closing the year with sales at §1.110 per pound.
Referring to our estimate of imports for the past year, our calculations wen- correct as regards sperm and whale
oil. The importation of whale-bone slightly exceeds our limit, it being difficult to foresee the success of the Arctic
fleet.
TRADE REVIMW FOU 1880.
Hi-rii'ir of lh<- whale Jixlifri/ j'"r l^~o. — The year I860 will be long remembered as a remarkable period in tho business
enterprises of i he country, ami although the wave of prosperity that has swept over the United States has not
placed whaling interests in a profitable position, we cherish the hope they may yet be benefited.
The business has been, to a certain extent, changed during the past two or three years by the constant retirement
of vessels, of which twenty-eight now lie at our wharves and a few others have been sold. Of the number to arrive
the present, year many will be rclircd, and the fleet bids fair to be much reduced. Right whaling is now the order
of the day, as its prospects appear better than catching of sperm oil a! present prices, and if the sperm whales are
neglected for a time, u h, knows but that we shall find them after a while as abundant as a few years since.
SEC. v, VOL. ii 11
102 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Largo lares of wbale oil are more easily taken than of sperm, and the business is of a more lively and exciting
nature, while the usual high price of whalebone makes it more profitable. May success attend the efforts of the many
vessels who are to follow t bat branch of the fishery during the present and coming years!
Our present licet numbers 177 vessels at sea and in port, against 178 last year, Iftj in lr<?9, and 1*7 in 1878.
Sperm whaling lias m>t been a success, vessels in the North Atlantic making a fair average, and those on liiver
1'late and Tristan doing poorly, \vbile on the coast of Africa catches were good, and some vessels took large fares.
On New Zealand the fleet met with poor success, excepting one vessel, and on Cbili .sperm whales were not so abun-
dant as formerly. Near Gallipagos Island and vicinity two vessels did well, and the Indian Ocean and New Holland
were entirely neglected. Tbe continued low price for sperm oil and the scarcity of whales have discouraged many
who have long followed this branch, and the success of right whalers induces them to change to that which appears
more remunerative.
Eight whaling has yielded good results. In the Arctic Ocean whales were very abundant, and the quantities ol1
oil taken were limited by the size of Hie vessels and the number of casks, the fleet averaging ],400 barrels of oil and
22,000 pounds of whalebone, being tbe handsomest return for many years. No traces were found of the two whalers
missing the year previous. In the different southern oceans right whaling was prosecuted by a large number of ves-
sels with varying success, and during the summer large catches of humpback were made on the coasts of South
America and Africa, the high juice compared with other oils stimulating many in that direction.
Sperm oil opened the year at. $1 per gallon, advanced to $1.07 in March, declined to §1.02-$ in May, and to 87
cents iii July ; advanced to 90 cents in August, to 95 cents in September, and to 9-< cents in October, closing the year
at, the latter figure. Tbe stock of crude oil in hands of importers, manufacturers, and others, both in Europe and this
country, is much less than at this time last year. The quantity afloat is 4.. Mill barrels less.
Tbe consumption of sperm oil has been fully equal to that of the past few years, and possibly somewhat increased,
ami in Europe it is expected the figures when received will show that the consumption there was nearly if not quite
up to the average of previous years.
Arctic whale oil opened the year at 60 cents per gallon, declined to 50 cents in April, and to 46 cents in May,
advanced to fi5 cents in August, and declined to 50 cents at the close of the year. South Sea and humpback oils have
sold at from 2 to 3 cents less per gallon than Arctic.
Arctic whalebone was at $2.25 per pound in January, $2 in May, and $2.30 in June, advanced further to $2.50 in
Angust, but declined in November to $1.30, closing the year at that figure, the heavy catch weakening the market.
The price of South Sea whalebone has ruled at about 25 cents per pound less than Arctic.
TRADE REVIEW, 1858 TO 1881.
The Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter, of November 23, 1881, gives the following interesting review
of the whale fishery in an article entitled "Whale and sperm oils":
The appearance of large bodies of whales in the Atlantic along the United States coast, during the summer and
up to a very recent date has suggested the possibility of resuming operations on tbe ground abandoned years ago. The
reason, perhaps, that the presence of those whales has not attracted more attention is tbat they belong to the hump-
back [mostly finback] species, which produce no whalebone, and therefore aie not a prolitable catch except in times
of high prices. The only demount rat ions tbat have been made against them so far liase been the shooting of a few in
Provincetown Harbor, Massachusetts, and the fitting out of a schooner from that port. This vessel cruised along tbe
eoast of Maine during the summer and took about 100 or 150 barrels humpback oil. This result was not sufficiently
alluring to induce others to follow the example of the owners of the schooner, though we- believe a menhaden steamer
did cruise in tbe neighborhood of Block Island for a time without making a haul. The recent appearance of a large
school of sperm whales in ihc Middle Atlantic, however, suggests the idea that the whaling industry might be profit-
ably revived in these waters at no distant day. There are many considerations to be taken into account, before such
a venture could be made, the most important of which are the prices that can be obtained for the oil. Since the time
when whale and sperm oils began to be supplanted by cheaper illurninat ing and lubricating oils, the whale fisheries
have been, naturally, on the decrease, as the result of competition has been to force prices down to a point barely
covering the cost of catching. The cost of catching sperm oil largely depends, of course, upon the price of labor at
the port where the vessel is fitted out and the cost of such fitting out, an important article of which is the provision,
which, for a long voyage, such as is now made, is composed largely of salt pork, beef, and canned goods. The lowest
prices at which sperm oil can now lie laid down in New Bedford is variously estimated at 90 to 95 cents per gallon,
which at the best prices at present obtainable for export or home consumption leaves a very small margin of profit to
I lie whalemen. The. profits in right-whale oil fishing are largely dependent upon a freak of fashion. At tirst sight
such a statement might seem somewhat ludicrous to the ordinary reader, but nevertheless the change in the mode of
female attire plays an important part in the market rates of whale oil. If it is the fashion to wear much whalebone
in articles of dress, then the demand for that article becomes of such importance that the whale-catcher derives a
sufficient profit from its sale to render the price of oil a matter of secondary importance. But it would require an
enormous demand for whalebone to do away with the necessity of obtaining something for the oil, and although the
i.isbiou in dress for a number of sears past has required the annual use of immense, quantities of whalebone, still this
has not been sufficient to keep t he s\ haling industry from going into a decline, because a sufficient return could not be
had for the oil. As sperm oil has to depend upon its own merits, the sperm whale. yielding no other valuable product ,
its competition with other oils has seriously detracted from its importance, and at the same time reduced the profits
of the industry to a point, as we said above, a, little niorp than half tbe cost of catching. *
Till'] WHALE FISHERY. 1(53
Tlir annual report ot" the New York Chamber of Commerce for 1838, in commenting upon the condition of the
\\ li:ilr fisheries during that year, says:
prospects for the coming year arc far from flattering, but upon the whole, perhaps not less encouraging than
:ii the commencement of the year thai has now passed. There will, from present appearances, be a further diminu-
tion nl' vessels employed in the fleet, and with a diminished competition the business may again regain a healthy
state. Oilier fields of enterprise now opened and opening present better opportunities for investment than are now
utl'ered ill the \\ hale fishery."
li \\asalniut this lime that pet i oleum oils for illuminating and lubricating purposes wore beginning to attract
attention, but they had not yet attained much commercial importance. The same authority quoted above, in its
i< \ ie\v ot (ho industry for the year 1861, says:
•' The average price of whale oil has been something more than 5 cents per gallon less than the year 1860. This
has been owing to the introduction of petroleum and kerosene oils, which have in a great measure taken the place of
\\ hale oil for illuminating purposes."
The first of hydrocarbon Inbricatiugoils was produced at Mecca, Ohio. It is undoubtedly the best oil of its class
ever put on the mark. -t ; but, unfortunately, it did not last, and it is now almost forgotten. Small quantities of it are
still produced by sand pumps, and tii id a read} sale at I he wells at $40 per barrel. It was a natural oil, and when it first
Appeared on the market was of about v!fi gravity. In 1866 or 1868, West Virginia natural oils first began to attract
ihe attention of the. oil trade. They were obtained mostly from shallow wells and were from 27 to 28 gravity. Their
appearance on the market had a very serious effect on the sale of whale oil, for the railroad companies who had pre-
viously taken the latter for lubricating purposes, owing to the high cost of sperm oil, readily took the mineral oil at
good prices, one road paying as high as §1 per gallon for it. The result was that whale oil steadily declined from
si -.'.", per gallon to about 70 cents, and it has never since (with the exception of a short time in 1869) got beyond that
point. The West Virginia oils have deteriorated somewhat since then, and prices are, of course, much lower. The
shallow wells are nearly all exhausted, and the oils now produced run from 33 to 40 gravity, though a small percent-
age of oil of a specific gravity as heavy as 29 degrees is still obtained. From the time of the introduction of the hydro-
carbon oils.the importance of the products of the whale has steadily declined, and thus one of the largest industries of
the United States has sunk, comparatively speaking, into insignificance. By the end of 1869 it began to be apparent
that the business had entirely lost its former prestige, and verj discouraging views of the future were entertained.
From a review published at the beginning of 1671 we extract the following:
" The year 1870. like its predecessor, has been one of poor returns to those engaged in the whale fishery. The
prices of our staples, which at (he opening were considered unremunerative, steadily declined throughout the year,
closing at the lowest, quotation of any year since 1861. The decline in sperm oil was owing to the limited consump-
tion of the article, together wit h a large stock on hand at the beginning of the year, and the unexpected large import,
being about 10,000 barrels in excess of the estimate for the year, while whale oil and whalebone were similarly affected
by the introduction largely of cotton-seed oil and a closed foreign market, caused by the European war, to which we
export largely, especially of bone. We note that while the importation of seal oil has been restricted by a higher
tariff, that cotton-seed oil has stepped into its place, and claims its share of consumption, which is by no means limited,
7.1,000 barrels, it is estimated, having beeu marketed the present year. * * ' Our merchants do not look upon the
future of whaling with encouragement, and seem disposed to distrust it as to its pecuniary results, induced more by
extraneous causes than inherent, having to add to the list of its competitors lard, petroleum, and seal oil, that of cot-
ton-seed oil, said by its advocates to be but in its infancy."
The importance of the competition with cotton-seed oil was not overestimated, as has been practically demonstrated
since. Fish oil also has assumed an important place among the list of competitors. It is not astonishing, in view of
all the circumstances, that the whale fishery should have ceased to exert an important influence upon the commerce
of the country; but it has left many evidences of its former glory behind. Along our coast are a number of ports
once teeming with life and activity, their inhabitants nearly all identified, in one way or another, with what was
then one of the most remunerative industries of the United States. Now these ports are silent and deserted; their
once busy wharves arc vacant and fallen into decay ; their streets are grass-grown, and most of their inhabitants
have long since departed. In place of the numerous harbors affording shelter for the large fleet of whalers, one or
Iv." ports now sut'liee to shelter them all.
What possibilities there may be for a revival of the former greatness of Ihe industry remains for the future to
show ; bur so far as the immediate future is concerned there seems to be no good reason to believe that further depre-
riai ion in t lie value of whale or sperm oil will occur. Prices have at last touched " rock-bottom," and there are now
indications of improvement. Foreign consumers manifest a strong prejudice in favor of these staples, and as long as
they can be obtained at a reasonable price, an export outlet is assured. With regard to the home consumption, it is
impossible, unless the production of mineral oils should greatly decrease, that it can ever again attaiu the prominence
it once enjoyed. The h\ ilrocarboii oils, which at tirst seriously interfered with the consumption of whale and sperm,
now help it. as many of the manufactured mineral lubricating oils contain more or less of these products which are
used to give body and weight to the lubricants. In this way, also, a certain outlet is assured. * *
A factor in the whale-oil trade, which promises to attain some prominence in the future, is the shipment of oil by
rail from San Francisco by tank cars. The project was first made known last fall at the close of the whaling
season, but did not make much headway. This year it was renewed, but so far has met with little success, apart from
exerting a depressing influence upon the Eastern markets. So far as we can learn there is not much oil to come that
way, the bulk of the catch being shipped in the usual manner. It is likely that 5,000 to 8,000 barrels will be
1(54 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
marketed in San Francisco, and part of this may find its way East by tank cars. Some of this has already been sold,
but it is impossible to tell how much. On its way to the East its arrival at different points on the route has been
telegraphed here, and such inforinatiou has usually been taken as indicating a new s;ile.
The following reviews for 1881, 18S2, 1883, and 1884 are by Messrs. I. H. Bartlett & Sous, of
New Bedford:
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1881.
Review of the whale fishery for 1881. — The year has been generally free of disasters, only four vessels having been
lost. Otherwise their has been no special feature of note. Arctic whaling has yielded good returns, while sperm oil
has not been found abundant. The most of the voyages closed during the year were successful, and the outlook for
the future would be good if better prices could be obtained, and tbe business relieved of the many clogs and hin-
drances which have lor many years oppressed United States shipping, and which have been so ably set forth in the
recent report of the cominil lee appointed by the New York Chamber of Commerce. Promiueut features in that,
report, were, the payment of time mouths' wages to discharged seamen, now exacted by no other nation, and the
protection granted to deserters by consular authorities and foreign Governments.
The piesent whaling Heel, numbers one hundred and sixty-one vessels, against one hundred and seventy-seven a
year ago. a icduelion of sixteen.
Sperm whaling continues to droop, and vessels have generally had but moderate MICCT.SS, those on the African
coast, and on Chili having made the largest catches, while in other quarters (lie year's work has been small.
li'iglit whaling has beeu successfully prosecuted. The Arctic ileet took good tares of oil and bone, as our tables
will show, remunerating those who invested their capital and labor in that, direction, but we sadly record the
evii lei ice indicating there is no hope of finding alive the crews of the two whalers that were ice-bound two years since.
We however welcome the news of the safety of a part or all of the Jeauuctte's company, and further tidings of them
is now daily expected.
The price of sperm oil in January last was nominally 98 cents per gallou, but owing to the immense stock on hand
sales could not have been effected to any extent at over 8.") to OH cents. The price declined to rtl cents in May and
June, rose to 82| cents in July, and gradually advanced till it reached '.).", cents in October, at which price it closed
the year, with some sales in the latter part at a slight advance on that figure. The incubus of stock that has for so
long a time weighed like a wet blanket on our sperm-whaling interests has now been removed, and no mariner
returning from a four years' voyage ever hailed with more satisfaction the sight of his home port, than do our mer-
chants the contemplation of the fact that, the stock of sperm oil for the whole of the present, year will be less in
quantity than the consumption of the last.
Whale oil opened the year at 48 cents per gallon for Arctic, dropped temporarily to 45 cents in May, advanced in
June and July to 55 cents, and continued at about that figure the remainder of the1 year, closing at 53 cents. Hump-
back and South Sea oils have ruled at about, 3 cents per gallon less.
The price of whalebone opened the year at $1.:!U per pound, advancing soon to $1.75 to $1.90, and continuing at
about these figures until fall, closing the year at, §1.40. South Sea bone has sold for about 20 cents per pound less.
TRADE REVIEW FOB 1B82.
Review of the whale fishery for 1882. — The year just closed has been without features of special note. Several vessels
have been lost at sea, mostly in different localities, the only loss of life being the officers and crew of schooner Pilot's
Bride, of New London. At home, the continued low price of sperm oil has discouraged those engaged in that branch
of the business, and fast leading to its discontinuance.
The present whaling fleet numbers one hundred and forty-seven, against, one hundred and sixty-one a year ago,
of which number one hundred and five are now at sea. Many of those in port are to be withdrawn for merchant
service, while others have become too dilapidated to warrant repairs.
Sperm whaling during the past year has continued to droop, only eight vessels having taken in excess of 500
barrels each, of which four cruised on the coast of Chili, and four in other localities. The owners, tired of small
catches and ridiculously low prices, are changing their vessels to right whaling or withdrawing them from the busi-
ness. Indications point to an import of 20,000 barrels for the present year, and a probable reduction in the future.
As the oil cannot be produced at a less cost than $1.25 per gallon, we cannot blame our merchants for transferring
their time and capital to other enterprises.
Right whaling has been prosecuted with fair success. Thirty vessels cruised in the Northern Pacific, averaging
to each 707 barrels of oil and 11,730 pounds of whalebone, in addition to which they took on their between-season
cruises an aggregate of 2,800 barrels sperm, 720 barrels whale oil, and 4,0(0 pounds of whalebone.
Two vessels were lost in the Arctic in the early part of the season by being crushed in the ice. If bad weather
had not unexpectedly prevailed during the latter part of tbe season, the catch would have been much larger. Many
additions are to be made to the fleet the coming vear.
The Southern right whalers were quite fortunate, and fair catches were made on the Tristan grounds and other
localities.
The consumption of our different products is an interesting subject, and one that, requires from us some attention.
It has always been our custom to report as the consumption for the year the amounts clea red from our import, markets
by tbe refiners and manufacturers, regardless of the stocks the latter were carrying at the close of the year. The
Till: NVHALE FISHERY. 165
continuance ut' this ciislnm h-d us in report for the year lss| ;, i>iuisiiiii|il inn nf sperm nil in this cminlry nf 2,r>,S7.ri
barrels, and iu Kngland c>t'::,lllill Inns or :',0,OIMI barrels, an aggregate of 55,000 barn-Is, when actually the large sfncUs
in refiners' bauds a. year ago makes it probable that the actual consumption was not much in excess nl' Ki.niin barrels.
\\V give below a, carcfnlh made statement of the estimated actual consumption i'or 1H82:
Barrels.
Crude sperm nil in importers' Lands January 1, 1882 Hi, 275
Crnde sperm oil in re liners' hands in United States and England 10,300
Crude sperm oil imported into United States in 1882 29,875
Crude sperm oil imported into England from the colonies, &c 3,850
66,300
Less stock in importers' hands January 1, 1883 20,100
Less stock in rentiers' hands in United States and importers' and refiners' hands in
England 6, 000
26, 100
Net eonsii nipt inn for the year 40,200
Whale ml is rapidly absorbed as snon as it arrivesin market, and whalebone has been used during the past year
In a greater extent than heretofore.
Sperm oil, from 9.3 cents at the commencement, nf the year, advanced steadily to $1.05 in February, si. 1(1 in April.
$1 11 in July, and then gradually receded, touching il(> cents at the close of the year.
Whale nil, from 53 cents in .January, gradually advanced, touching .7.) eentsin September, and declining in Decent-
IM-I in ~~> cents.
Whalebone opened the year at $1.40 and steadily advanced, touching :•>.'. 25 in October, and closing I he \ear at frj.
The ipiautity of sperm oil at present on board of the whaling fleet is 5,300 barrels, against 12.IWIO barrels a year
agn. being the smallest amount known in our experience.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1883.
lieriew uf the u-liale-jidicry for 1883. — The past year has been one of loss to those engaged in this business, and ils
results ha\e been discouraging. The failure of the Arctic season, wiih small catches in other localities, has bronuht.
lint small remuneration to those who risk their capital in the whale-fishery.
The fleet now numbers one hundred and twenty MM- vessels of all .-lasses hailing from Atlantic ports, against one.
hundred and thirty-eight a year ago, and nineteen from San Francisco, as against eight last year. The number of
vessels engaged in sperm whaling has been considerably decreased, owing to the low prices of oil, while, on account
nf the value of whalebone, agents are inclined to send most of their vessels to the Arctic Ocean and other right-whale
regions. Indications point to a steady decrease in the number of vessels sailing from Atlantic .ports, and perhaps a
small increase in the number sailing from San Francisco for the Arctic Ocean.
A new feature of the past year arising from the increase of Arctic, whaling a t San Francisco has been the. estab-
lishment of extensive works at that place for the manufacture and sale of whale and sperm oil, thus enabling the
owners there located, as well as others who import oils at that place, to find a market without paying the heavy cost
of shipping tin- same to the Atlantic seaboard. It is understood that the whole Arctic catch of oil, about 10,00i I barrels,
has been purchased at San Francisco at increased prices. Their works, in addition to large facilities for the manu-
t'act lire of sperm candles, have a capacity of 150 barrels of oil per day, and arc to be enlarged if the imports at I hat
place and the sales of their products shall warrant.
Sperm whaling continues to decline, and no catches of any amount were made during the year except a few in the
Atlantic Ocean, and two or three ofl' Patagonia. The number of ships and barks now iu that fishery at sea is forty-
eight, most of which will folio wright whaling during half of the year. The con tinned low price of oil will soon prevent
the business being followed to any great extent.
Right whaling has been unfortunate, and the season iu the North Pacific, owing to prevalence of ice and bad
weather, was a failure. Thirty-eight vessels cruised there, three of which were lost, aud the remaining thirty-live
averaged 274 barrels nf oil aud 4,350 pounds of whalebone to each. The southern right whalers were not as fort una te-
as iu the previous year, and their general success was moderate.
The price of sperm oil from 96 cents per gallon on January 1 rose to $1.05 iu April and May, and from that time
steadily declined, closing the year at 90 cents.
Whale oil from 55 ceuts in January continued at about the same price, with the exception of a rise to 594 (cuts
in April, until December, when on account of the demand at San Francisco it advanced, closing the year at 00 cents
per gallon asked.
Whalebone opened the year at $2 per pound for Arctic, and with a few variations steadily advanced, until at tin-
close of the year it sold at $4.75 per pound.
The purchases of sperm oil for consumption during the year have amounted to 32,200 barrels; the purchases of
whale oil to 23,600 barrels, and of whalebone, 376,000 pounds ; all the above being bought at Atlantic ports, besides
the purchases at San Francisco of all their importations, and quite an amount of oil aud bone belonging to New Bed-
ford vessels.
Our figures of imports for 1883 do uot include the oil and bone purchased at Sau Francisco, it being difficult for
us, at this distance, to obtain the information with accuracy.
166
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
TRADE REVIEW FOR 1S.-4.
Hcrieiv of the whale-fishery for 1884. — Another year has passed, and its results, like us predecessors, have been
unsatisfactory and discouraging to those who have coutinu< d to risk their capital in the whale-fishery. With two or
three exceptions the larger el ass of vessels that arrived during the year made losing voyages, and with the discouraging
features which still exist it is doubtful if they are soon fitted out agaiu. Of the vessels in port one-half at least are
known to be for sale, and of those expected to arrive during this year it is now intended that a number will be offered
for sale.
The North Atlantic fleet was more fortunate on the whole than during the year previous, the smaller vessel*
doing the best. Some good catches of sperm oil were made on the west coa,st of South America during the months
from April to October, seven vessels averaging TOn barrels, one taking l.'.'NH barrels, and three or four vessels did
quite well on New Holland.
The season in the Arctic was better than that of 1883, but not fully satisfactory, except to some having steamers
that penetrated the ice, which the sailing vessels considered unsafe to enter, thereby obtaining good catches. Thirty-
nine vessels cruised there, and the only loss was the steamer Bowhead, of San Francisco, the first one built by the
Pacific Whaling Company, and a fine vessel. Her catchings had been previously shipped home. The fleet averaged
527 barrels whale oil and 8,380 pounds whalebone.
Three vessels on New Zealand did well right whaling, taking an average of 7110 barrels.
The total number of vessels ol' all classes engaged in the business is one hundred and thirty-three, of which nine-
teen hail from San Francisco, and all but one engaged in Arctic whaling. The decrease of the catching p< >W.T during
the year was 1,912 tons, the greater portion of which had been engaged in sperm whaling.
The present tonnage of the entire fleet is 31,207, of which 3,432 is at home ports. Of the remaining 27,775 tons,
about one-half is exclusively engaged in Arctic whaling, one-quarter exclusively sperm whaling, and the remaining
one-quarter sperm and right whaling; showing the tonnage engaged in sperm whaling to be about 10,400 tons, which
is about 20 per cent, less than last year.
The consumption of sperm oil was well maintained, notwithstanding the depressed condition of business all over
the country during the year.
The consumption of whale oil was curtailed in consequence of lack of stock, but very little of the Northern catch
of 1883 having been sent to the Eastern market.
In consequence of the high price of whalebone, the consumption was not as large' as the previous year.
The exports were less than previous years, especially of sperm oil, a large stock having been carried over in Lon-
don January 1, 1884. The consumption in Europe of sperm oil reached 13,0)50 barrels, anil the stock remaining on
hand January 1, 1885, 426 tons, is about one-ball' of that on January 1, l.<>4.
Sperm oil began the year at 90 cents, touched 76 cents in November, and closed at 77 cents in December.
Whale oil began the year at liOU cents, touched 57 cents in November, and closed at 54 cents in Decembn
Whalebone began the year at $4.75, touched $2 in October, and closed at w2.:;5 in December.
Our figures of imports include that imported into San Francisco by vessels owned there, which in former years
were omitted.
We estimate the import of sperm oil for 1NS5 at 17,000 to 20,000 barrels; that, of whale oil and whalebone will
depend on the success of the Arctic fleet.
(6) STATISTICAL TABLES OF PRODUCTS AND VALUES.
Table showing the receipts from the American fleet, the exports, and the home consumption of sperm and whale oil from 1860
to 1884.
Tear.
Sperm oil.
Whale oil.
Tear.
Sperm nil.
Wliiile oil.
S
"a
&
Exports.
Home cou
sumption.
Keceipts.
Exports.
H
if
o a
W"
Receipts.
Exports.
gg
°.2
„&
a 8
0 P
M"
Receipts.
Exports.
Home con-
sumption.
I860
1861
1862
1863
Bbls.
73, 708
68, 932
55, 641
65, 055
64, 372
3.!, 242
36, 663
43,433
47, 174
47, 930
55, 183
41, 534
45, 201
Bbls.
32, 792
37, 547
27, 976
18, 366
45, 000
20, 158
10, 630
25, 147
18, 916
18, 645
22, 733
22, 156
24,344
Bbls.
38, 507
31,091
27, 759
32, 527
30, 190
27, 606
in, 1:3
22, 986
23, 258
17, 239
28, 812
33, 528
24, 052
Bbls.
140,005
133,717
100, 478
62, 974
71, 863
76, 238
74, 302
89, 289
65, 575
85, Oil
72, 091
75, 152
31,075
SMs.
13, 007
49, 969
68, 583
11,297
13, 000
1,660
618
18, 253
9,885
3,842
9,872
18,141
1,528
Bbls.
143, 009
105, 839
67, 254
t)5, 352
62, 528
64, 107
69, 534
58, 836
72, 390
56, 236
68, 452
63, Oil
42, 852
1873
fbla.
42, 053
32, 203
42,617
39,811
41,119
; ;. 508
41, 308
37, 614
30, 600
29,884
24, 595
22, 099
Bbls.
18, 67.r.
22, HI-J
23,600
18,047
11,843
13,283
16,600
13, 006
13, 996
5,143
SbU.
21, 1:111
21,768
18,45!
14.4?:i
31,737
11, U'4
23,315
13,750
25, 27.',
13, 053
17,324
ir>, 4S1
Bbls.
40, 014
37, 782
:i4. r.!)4
33,010
27, 191
33, 77*
23, 334
34,776
23,371
24, 170
24, 670
Bbls.
2,153
3, 300
5, 424
10, 300
i.
14,371
7,374
4. 395
(i r.n
4,421
4,543
2,343
Bbls.
33, 881
44, 357
31, 860
22, 620
20, 501
1-J, r.r.7
24,885
23, 858
32,000
21,425
19, 052
23,777
1874
1875
1876
1864
1877
1865
1878
1866
1879
1867
1880
1868
1881
1869
1882
1870
1883
1871
1884
1872
TIIK \\IIALI; nsiiKi;v.
1G7
Table showing tin mri/i/.< //•<»« tin- American fleet, the home consumption, <uul tin- r.rjiin •/» uf «•/«(/< //<n/. jnnn l.-i;.", in |,-,- 1
Received.
Consumed.
Exported.
Tear.
K«'i eivril.
Consumed.
Exported.
1865
Pov
Pounds.
ii • ii i
1875
Pound*
372 303
Pou,
1 !'• Ilh7
J'ounds.
•'()'> 4'
i ;;:.-,
4''ll 17">
5"! 400
1876
150 6°8
1867
1 001 397
181 631
717 7Mt>
1877
100 °°0
67 8°0
70 8(
1888
"4G '181;
704 882
1878
MI; .-,','1
113 4(
1S69
603 603
197 101
311 605
1879
286 280
i.
75 71
1^7(1
-155 347
347 *>18
1880
4lil fl"S
176 770
171 '7^
1871 . .
600 655
319 856
387 199
1SX1
202 000
106, 0(
.
193 793
74 141
177 :i:;-j
1S82
•J.71 null
L'll oil)
175,4'
206 396
155. 351
120 545
1883
L'.M 037
198 423
175, 61
345 560
200, 807
165 553
1884
426 968
109,144
1 13, OS
Table shotting the value of oil and i>anc lumli d lii/ l/n- .liitiricnii irlmlintj fleet, the value of tli? proportion consumed in the
I ~ni lid Slates, and the ralue of the proportion is]><»-t<-d during the years 1865 to 1880.
Tear.
Value of oil and
buno landed.
Value of oil and
bone consumed
in the United
States.
Value of oil and
bone exported.
Tear.
Value of oil and
bone landed.
Value of oil and
boneconsumed
in the United
States.
Value of oil ana
bone exported.
1865
$6, 906, 650 51
7, 037, 891 23
6, 356, 772 51
5 470 157 43
$5, 564, 786 26
4,766, 5!>7 B8
3,189,220 19
3, 568, 082 30
3, 013, 426 34
2,896,883 19
2, 798, 408 97
2, 081, 468 87
$1,8»8, 399 75
1,591,727 82
:i,ll34,9?7 12
2, 106, 985 72
1..V.4, 956 25
1, 1711,864 85
1,479,153 69
1, 374, 098 37
1873
82, 962, 106 96
2, 713, 034 51
3,314,800 24
2, 639, 463 31
2, 309, 569 69
..', 029 55
2, 056, 069 08
2, 659, 725 03
$1, 947, 037 50
2, 154, 638 63
1, 700, 823 45
1, 346, 828 00
1,113,681 00
849, 043 12
1, 345, 582 05
1, 165, 944 00
$929, 247 94
1,179,286 32
1,494,727 64
1, 487, 533 00
'.124, 175 CO
1,357,162 34
582, 994 17
795, 657 78
1866
1874
1867
1875
1868
1876
1869
6, 205, 244 32
4, 529, 126 02
3, 091, 469 18
2. 1)54, 783 00
1877
1870
1878
1871
1879
1872
1880
Table showing the average prices of sperm and irltttle oil per gallon and whalebone each month from 1868 to 1880.
1868.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
1879.
1880.
January :
$** 00
$1 S5
$1 '"Ti
$1 55
$1 50
$1 50
$1 69J
$1 60
$1 04,«,
$0 90
$1 04,.
64
1 10
69
65
66
61
66J
67*.
$0 70
55
35
1 113
1 10
1 15
1 0~i
1! Mil
2 39
February :
2 00
1 5IJ
1 32
1 54
1 53
1 60
1 78
I .'i4
1 31
1 Olft
no
1 04
Whale oil
66
1 U
74
GO
73
64
CO
65
65
70
52
37
57
1 14
1 DO
1 40
1 69*
3 00
2 26
March :
2 00
1 93
1 54*
i :M
1 00
1 52*
1 111!
1 84
1 50
I 26
1 03
85
1 06
Whale oil ....
70
1 13
62
71
08
63
6G
62J
68
50
37
52
1 28
1 OG
1 6 i
2 10
2 10
April:
2 00
1 40
1 28J
1 56
1 52
1 80
1 43
81
1 02
Whale oil ...
73
1 05
69
58
69
66
63
65
621.
65
50
36
48
1 ''I!
1 10
1 75
2 65
2 82
2 02
May:
2 00
1 93
III
1 "ii
1 53
1 48
1 55
1 711
1 ::7
1 20
H4
77
1 02}
Whole oil
77
1 03
66}
55
69
62
60
65
55
63
45
35
47
1 55
1 10
2 50
L' :.l)
2 00
June:
2 00
1 85
1 38
1 22J
1 40
1 42
1 52
4 55
I 35
1 19
87*
75
93)
Wbale oil
80
1 03
C3i
54
62
61
60
B2
58
53
41
36
45
Whalebone . .
1 -J5
1 09
2 00
2 40
2 50
2 18
* The followiu^ additional data have been received since the above w»s compiled : Average price of sperm oil per gallon in 1881,
in 1882, $1.00; in 18.-:). !(7 cenls; in 1884, 85 cents. Whale oil in 1881, 48 cents ; in 1882, 58i cents; in!883, 54 cents; in 1884, 56 i-.-uI*.
bone per pound in 1881, $1.63 j in 1882, $1.71 ; in 1883, $2.87 ; in 1884, $3.55.
5 cents ;
U'lialo.
168 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
.! iihlr showing the </nr<f//f ju'i< i * <>l .syir; in u ml trlmh' <m y..r <i>illini <i ml u-Jmli fnmr t <t< I >,,'»• ill I'm in 1HIS to 16^4.1 — C OH tinned.
*
1808.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874
1875.
1876.
1877.
187S.
1879.
1880.
July:
$1 89J
$l'79
$1 33
$1 23
$1 38
$1 40
$1 55
$1 50 J
$1 31
$1 16
$0 88
:-'• i 7".
i i - -
Whale oil
80
1 04
G6i
55
61
62
58
i I
50
•"tLI-J
1 "8
1 18
1 10
2 00
August :
1 80
1 76
1 33
1 24
1 S8
1 47
1 57
1 40
1 28
1 15
91 A
90
"Whale oil
85$
or.
694
84
64
i;:>
58
70
55
51
43
35
1 "4
1 15
1 15
2 00
2 '>«
•> qrt
September:
1 86
1 77
1 "0
1 24J
1 35
1 50
1 61
1 IS
1 '>7i
1 1 1
87 ^
7|
94
"Whale oil
1 OOj
1 00
64
55
64
61
57i
67
55
51
39
37
5>>i
1 32
1 15
1 1"
2 15
0 (15
•' "".
i i, tobei .
1 !l."i
1 7.">
1 23
26
1 35
1 4"
1 M
1 48
1 40
1 ll'l
8'V-
98
"Whale oil
i i":;
1 00
OCJ
661
r>2
60
1 u
IT
58
51
;;s-7
i 35
1 20
1 10
" 5(1
•i <J5
l OU
1 75
November:
1 80
1 7"
1 "3J
1 50
1 47
1 42
i t;~>
i :.i
1 40
1 08
1 i'ii
98
Wliale oil
90
!l"
63*
66
7l)
.~>1
37*
5ll
1 30
1 20
3 00
11 (Hi
1 ::u
December:
1 75
1 .VI
1 °2
1 57
1 50
1 50
i IH
l 604
' HI
1 03
83A
i-
Whale oil
85
84
64
67
62
64
70
65
55
35
50
1 10
1 18
1 D2
:; tit;
" III!
1 30
Yearly avei.i ;
i »2
1 78
1 35
1 35
1 45i
1 48
1 59
1 Hi '
1 411*
1 13
91*
84 j
09
Whale oil
82
1 01J
67i
60
65A
6''
60J
65j
56
52
44
39
51
1 24
70
1 L'sj
1 08
1 10
1 l
1 96
• r.ii
2 46
2 34
2 00
Tabli xliijiti»;i muiiHiJi/ receipts nl' "/' mill irlnili'lioin- from lite whaliiii/ Jlci'l nf tin- ' (i • J'nun 1>I>8 to 18^(1.
1871.
1S72.
1873.
1874.
1870.
1877.
1878.
1879.
1880.
January :
" 713
182
1 08 ">
• • 1 ' s
588
Whale oil <!<»
396
201
U4f,
73
4 III
893
in
1 857
449
(;-,
26 73 '
47 195
" l"j
•Tl 4.-1
60 605
"1 '144
•'] " s
i • r ;{
February:
1 HII4
1 086
595
•> 7Q1
Whale oil .do
400
217
1 100
115
2 037
1 208
17
3 014
22
893
' 815
3 361
124 000
9 967
March :
720
7118
1,817
48G
1 014
86 1
:-
899
1 °41
373
2 Ms
7 !I97
2 174
8,975
2 980
1 1S2
" 507
l'J0
117
353
3 078
3 095
350
1 396
Whalebone ll<s
i
17, sun
'.14, d'.ic,
1 • ir.ii
., .,].,
395
2 225
April :
'.', l"4
5 11'
4 730
o 373
2 "4 n
2 791
960
'' 179
o 074
1 789
443
^ "46
85
Whale oil <lo
16 664
22 610
5 717
33 G14
1 155
3 788
11 l Tp 1
lit (T)S
L5 li.M
2 307
4 ii::7
1 ->75
7 S60
"Whalebone Ibs. .
May:
Sperm oil bbls. .
Whale oil do...
257, 5i;.".
4,305
19, 609
3, 131
22, 043
25 736
105, 7S5
13,481
20, 537
fiO 170
319,967
3,453
9,407
37 045
2,855
7,007
5,001
4,850
(i, 133
10,109
;; *'77
IS. 7U!)
1. 303
2 940
5,740
12, 086
14, M'll
3,383
3, 13tl
300
2,351
4,602
4 189
2,335
4,587
2,872
4,ii4i;
1,956
1 "74
c. '.!::;
5, 102
4,149
"•I U46
June:
5 3°4
6 301
7 4')S
4 900
11 369
4 ir'4
'; 4i;s
3 954
8 693
8 °31
- 1 32
Whale oil do ..
5, 745
7 401
5,684
19 830
17, 2o:i
"" 71 ;
7, 642
8 904
8,839
4 16°
7,298
3 59°
7,068
1 'J30
1,905
595
3,228
5*il
4,915
•'n 1 17
2, 709
14 384
1,460
6, 877
llj 4118
July:
Speiin oil bills. .
Whale oil do
2,799
l 382
1,930
8 '36
7, 732
4 798
9,342
5 414
4,854
1 °13
2, 273
487
3, 078
1 4 08
1"2
7, 329
558
5, 062
1 310
6,861
f 59S
5, 2114
809
3,484
1 089
WhalfliKH. ... ...Ibs.
9.698
13.000
250
10.798
1. !I51
1.6SO
3. 141
22. 442
5.018
4.881
TIIK \\IIALK KISMKKY. 1C,;)
In hi !• xii<iii-iiuj monthly receipt* nf nil ninl whalebone from ""• «•//»// »</./'''<•' <>i ""• ' 'iitinl ,S7« .'(•.>,• t'lnm I MIS to 1880 — Conl'd.
1868.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
1875.
1876.
1877.
1878.
1879.
1880.
An^nst:
Sperm oil bbls - -
7,742
6,620
4,203
8,557
!>, 557
4,811
4,599
5,293
3,441
4,409
2,226
2,918
Whale oil do
ti, iu:>
'.!, 251.'.
3, 04 1
3,862
5,662
3,501
2, 547
804
816
1, 911
4, 459
1 '.Hi!!
1 6 "4
Whalebone Ibs. .
21,042
28, 008
17, 720
14, 475
•>. !K>4
22, 719
8,334
1,044
11.1)27
September:
Sperm oil 1.1. Is.
0,903
9,213
7,012
4,535
2,293
4, 225
7,001
8,813
5,140
4,017
5,1 5:1
3,971
4, 592
Whale oil do..
4,779
4,399
3,841
4,855
2, 434
7, 103
1,274
4,499
1,061
1,691
2,147
2, 427
1,485
Whalebone Ibs. .
29, 006
20, 365
4,149
2, 200
25,422
:;, sic.7
18, 652
14,011
350
13, 549
5, 19:{
Ortnl.i-i- :
Sperm oil bbls. .
6, 690
3.444
7,366
2,017
5, 1K2
3,295
3,646
3,395
3, *44
4,279
3,520
3.695
4. 22K
Whole oil do
1,972
5, 401
3, 237
1, 950
4, 013
1, 604
4,383
1, 858
L' (is:;
3 576
1 555
210
3 501
Whalebone Ibs . .
2,932
22, 795
41. 105
27, 244
9,877
10, 009
1, 4im
18,411
]5, 290
59, 0511
19, 150
November:
S|iel [U Oil bills.
2, 440
4,717
961
1,177
1,455
4,318
79
3,215
4,740
2, H74
3,519
Whale oil do
8GG
3, 194
3, 953
3,589
704
1.00
772
2,344
1, 4:;i
75(1
1, 982
5, 308
605
Whalebone Ibs..
13, 630
29, 336
60, 000
7,696
2, 092
28, 295
': 300
1 ' ii"'i
31, 534
135, lino
1 '.-ri mber:
-
Sperm oil bMs.
485
3, 284
330
1,712
?, 758
3, 577
6,739
2, iii-j
l',910
1,345
6,394
4, 3*3
Whale oil do
1, 413
524
33
684
1 . 210
1,270
344
377
739
1 977
1, 270
2, 704
Whalebone Ibs. .
112, 000
5,000
66, 000
133, 900
20, 300
99, 009
142, 396
14,920
on, 77::
59, 633
105,453
240,512
RECAPITULATION.— (Total receipts earli year.)
Sperm oil hbls. .
Whale oil do
47, 174
65 575
47, 936
85 Oil
55, 183
72 691
41, 534
75 152
45, 201
31 075
42, 033
40 014
:;; 782
42, Ci] 7
34 594
39,811
33 010
41, 11!)
27 191
43, 508
33 778
41, 308
23 3'14
37, 614
34 770
W halebone Ibs. .
900, 850
603, 603
708, 365
600, 055
193, 793
2iiii, ::no
345, 560
372, HI.::
150, 028
Kill, 2211
207, 259
286, 280
404, c-.'K
The following statement shows the quantities of oil and bone lauded by the American Heet and
the total value of the same from 1804 to 1880.* The statistics are compiled from Starbuck's His
tory of the Whale Fishery nud from the Whalemen's Shipping List. The total \ it-Id «>f this fishery
for the entire period is seen to be 166,604,496 gallons of sperm oil, 270,727,205 gallons of whale oil,
and 76,386,148 pounds of whalebone, having a total value of 8340,204,873.
Scammoi) estimates that sperm whales will average 25 and right whales 60 barrels of oil, and
of the former 10 and of the latter 20 per cent, of those killed are lost. Upon that basis the above
amounts of oil would represent the slaughter of about 232,790 sperm and 196,0112 right whales.
*The following additional statistics have lieen received since tins statement \v.is compiled :
Tear.
Gallons
sperm oil.
Gallons
whale oil.
Pouu
\\ h;il<-l.
1881
963 900
096, 975
368
1882
941 340
736, 186
271
1883
774 742
761,355
254
1884 .
096 118
777, 105
£6
!
ir
Total value.
00
$1, 92U, G20
'.19
1,801,779
137
1,891,716
168
2, 542, 614
170
HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES.
Production of oil nml Imni' Inj the American wliaJini/Jli'it <in<l lulnl r/iliic nf xnmr from 1804 to !"<>.
Tear.
Callous
.1 oil.
Average
price
per gallon.
Gallons
whale oil.
Average
price
per gallon.
Pounds
whalebone.
Average
price
per pound.
Total value.
7 983 110
IS, 159,836
841, 940
$16,941,493 57
1821
1,357,618
67*
1,213,506
33
62, 893
12
1,324,396 29
l.V" ... ,
.1,350
65
1,619,951
32
50, 799
12
1,402,857 70
1823 - .
938,351
43
1, 697, 440
32
103, 404
13
1,820,114 25
1824
: 1,091,064
45*
1, 833, 237
30
133, 472
13
1, 973, 756 58
IS^S
1,0-4,303
70J
1, 666, 413
32
152, 534
15
1, 912, 765 87
1826 .
019, 800
75
1, 108, 233
30
79, 368
16
1, 035, 018 78
1827
2, 958, 480
72i
1,119,037
30
106, 255
18
2,499,735 00
1828
2, 475, 176
62*.
1, 591, 790
26
137, 323
25
1,995,181 15
1829
2, 350, 152
61J
2, 256, 502
26
563, 654
25
2, 172, 947 50
1830
3, 482, 042
65J.
2, 831, 315
39
514, 991
20
3, 487, 949 56
1831
3, 636, 738
' 71
3, 609, 774
30
279, 279
17
4, 139, 790 61
1832
2, 299, 563
85
5, 703, 894
442, 881
13
3,352,618 17
1833
~0, 765
85
5, 153, 148
26
266, 432
13
4, 170, 754 89
1834 .
3, 891, 573
72*
4,14
27J
343, 324
21
4,033,317 55
1835
5, 181, 523
84
3, 950, 289
39
965, 192
21
6,095,787 :i;i
1836
4, 200, 021
89
4, 301, 892
44
1, 028, 773
25
5, 888, 044 42
1837
129,138
82J
6, 389, 995
35
1.753,104
20
6,983, ii."i7 '.in
1838
4, 076, 100
86
7, 204, 365
32
1,200,000
20
6, 250, 842 80
1839
4, 408, 866
1 05
7, 040, 975
36
2, 00(1, OUO
18
7,524,0110 30
1840
4.928,017
1 00
6, 408, 391
30
2, 1100, OCO
19
7,230,534 30
1841
156,304
94
6,459,510
32
2, 000, 000
20
7, 125, 970 88
1842
>G, 105
73
4, 876, 232
34
2, 500, 000
23
4,379,812 03
1 -4:;
5, 260, 027
63
6,511,900
34
1,127,270
36
6, 293. 680 21
1844
4,239,711
III!.'
8, 254, 481
36,',
2, 532, 445
40
7, 875, 970 38
1845
4, 967, 550
88
8, 593, 483
33
2, 195, 054
34
8,283,611 75
1846
3, 155, 481
87J
6, 589, 737
33J
3, 252, 939
34
6,203,115 43
1847
3, 803, 719
I 00}
9,86
36
3, 341, 680
31
8,419 288 49
1848
3,401,274
1 00
8, 840, 663
33
3, 003, 000
25
6, 81? 442 78
1849
3, 179, 736
1 08?
7, 827, 498
39}}
2,281,100
21]
7, 069 953 74
1850 - -
2, 926, 098
1 20/5
(i, 319, 152
49ft
2, 869, 200
7, 564, 124 72
1851
3, 137, llti
1 27i
10, 347, 214
45,\
2, 916, 500
344
10, 031. 744 0.1
1852
2, 484. 468
1 23J
•2, 652, 647
68J
1, 259, 900
50 1
5,505,4119 i-'J
1853
10, 925
1 24J
8, 193, 591
58}
5, 652, 300
34A
10, 760. 521 2(1
1854
2, 315, 924
1 4SJ
10, 074, 866
59$
3, 445, 200
]0, S02, 594 'JO
1855
2 288,443
1 77=,-
5, 796, 472
71ft
3, 707, 500
45i
9, 413, 14X 93
1856
2, 549, 642
1 62
6, 233, 535
79i
2, 592, 700
58
9, 589, 846 36
1857
2 470,860
1 28J
7, 274, 641
73J
2, 058, 850
90S
10, 491, 548 90
1858
2, 581, 142
1 21
:>, 740, 025
54
2, 571, 200
92}
7, 672, 227 31
1859
2 879, 352
1 36J
5, 997, 946
48.'.
1,9
68
8, 525, 108 91
I860
•> 306, 934
1 41*
4, 410, 158
49}
1, 337, 650
80J
6, 520, 135 12
1861 .
2,171,358
1 31ft
4,212,085
441
1, 038, 45
6G
5,415,090 59
1862
1 42}
3, 165, 057
59J
763, 500
88
5,051,781 64
1SC3
2, 049, 232
1 01
1, 983, 681
9",J
488, 750
1 53
5, 936, 507 17
1SU4
1 1)27,718
1 891
2, 203, 685
1 28
760, 450
i «"•;
8,113,922 07
1805
1,04-7,123
2 25ft
2, 401. 497
1 4f>
619, 350
1 71}
6,906,650 51
1866
1,154,885
2 55
2, 340, 513
1 21
920, 375
1 37
7,037,891 23
1867
1,368,139
2 27
2, 812, 603
73J
1, 001, 397
i 17;
6,356,772 51
1868
1,485,981
1 92
2, 065, 613
82
900. 850
1 02?,
5, 470, 157 43
1869
1,509,984
1 S1J
2, 677, 846
1 01J
603, 603
1 23
6, 205, 2J4 32
1870
1,738,265
1 36}
2, 289, 767
67}
708, 365
85
4, 529, 120 02
1871
1,308,321
1 31
2,367,288
64
600, 655
77
3,691,469 18
1872
1 423.832
1 4-'iJ
973, OS4
05*
1 28J
2,954,783 00
1873
1 324 6i'i9
1 47J
1. 200, 441
621
1 OSi
2. '.ir.2, 10G 96
1874
1 014,395
1 59
1,190.133
CO*
843, 500
1 10
2,713,034 51
1875
1,342,435
i I;H\
1,089,711
65i
372, 30.'!
1 20
3,314,800 24
1876
1,254,047
i in'.
1, 039, 815
56
1 96
2,639
1877
1 295,249
i l::
856, 510
52
" 100, 220
2, 3u9. 509 69
1878
1, 370, 502
914
1, 064, 007
44
207,259
2 40
2 232. 029 55
1870
1, 301, 202
84J
39
286, 280
2 34
2,050,060 in
1880
1,184,841
99
1, 395, 414
51
164,028
2 00
2,659,725 (i::
l> i 004 496
•'70 7"7, 2ll'i
76, 380, 148
340, 204, 873 86
' Year ended December 31, 18SO
TIIK \\IIAI, i,
171
(c) STATISTICS UK TUB WHALING I LKF.T.
.\iiHilrrnf irliitliiKj I'tsni'ls lirloiiiiiiii/ In Ilir wri-nil ports of tin 1'nili il >'/«/<» • in .laiiunnj I <•/ nn7i _//•«)• I'rom 1640 to 1880.
| \Vi-fla liltcil fur Antniviii- fi'.ilini' .in • mnittril. They belong mostly al Slimm^t'in .mil NOT I .<i.,li,n ami number I'MOU ton tu twenty in
each year. Tlio ddtfftla "I' tlio st-almi: flrer art- ^ivin in a subsr.jui'; t rbaptiT nf Ibis volume.]
L840.
1841.
1842.
1843.
1K41.
1845.
1846.
1847.
! 1848.
1849.
I- iO
1851.
1852.
L853.
l'.:il nst:i!i!r. Mass
1
1
I'.atli Mr
J
I'.rv.-rlv, M:ISH
1
2
3
3
1
2
•'
5
3
1
3
1
\
1
inn r, i '.nin -
:t
:i
3
3
;i
:i
• i
hi'Miul, R. I
i;
r>
5
10
7
r.
0
Q
1
1
1
<Vld Sprint V V
•
2
-•
4
7
g
g
g
„
_
;j
:
2
1
1
1
"
1
1
1
1
1 'or rlirstt'l1, Mass _
•j
2
•>
Duxlilll'V, Mu,ss
1
1
1
Eil-aitowu, Mass
tven, Mass ... .
F.ilnmtith, Mass
s
41
g
8
44
8
9
4:.
7
13
49
7
10
45
5
11
4.-,
5
10
48
4
9
48
4
8
50
8
4!l
:i
c
46
6
45
3
9
."u
3
;i
49
3
l-'i- •< tnwn, Mass
1
1
•j
2
1
~
iport, \. Y
- Hcli-, Ma>s
Hudson, X. Y
s
I
8
4
4
g
3
•)
8
3
2
Hi
3
I
11
4
11
4
11
3
10
a
HI
3
11)
3
9
II
4
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
->
2
3
3
2
•'
•>
2
• i
2
Mattapoisett, Mass
ii
8
s
5
i.i
HI
8
'.1
1"
in
is
11
11
15
in
16
11
11
0
10
13
10
15
9
81
78
s;j
88
CO
77
71
71
60
62
5C
Nr\v Bedford, Mass
177
:t
IT4
;;
1711
2
211
2
•J19
1
239
t
IX
254
248
250
238
]
*i49
282
311
Xew Suffolk, X. Y
1
1
1
1
1
»
2
2
1
1
1
1
New London, Couu
:;;i
3 ;
10
31
42
L2
46
12
61
11
70
11
7
9
5»
48
44
4-2
4
41
45
X«w York, X. Y
3
3
2
3
2
1
1
Xrwark, X. J
1
1
1
•J
1
1
2
3
Plymouth, Mass
:i
3
6
9
7
5
4
.,
1
1
Portland, Me
1
1
1
Portsmouth, N. H
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Ponghkeepsie, X. Y
6
i;
G
4
1
g
3
•j
g
R
9
<t
8
G
4
3
2
•i
2
I'rn\ incetown, Mass ...
1
13
1C
;
17
19
23
IS
15
10
10
]
27
30
27
Iin< In ster, Mass
15
Sag Harlmr X. Y
3]
31
30
44
49
60
63
62
50
41
23
15
18
19
1 i
14
1"
12
6
5
2
2
2
1
Sandwich, M,i -
1
2
Sippii/an, Mass
6
g
g
7
4
5
5
3
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
i
1
1
Stimington, Conn
11
8
:i
14
13
20
26
27
24
•M
18
L6
1
17
1
16
1
Wareham, Ma^s
Warren, R. I
21
19
i -
"1
4
10
6
20
6
25
4
1
1
15
1
15
1
17
1
10
g
g
In
15
11
11
11
13
14
15
15
16
19
22
Wilmington, Del
,
5
-,
3
3
1
• -set, Me
i
1
1
1
1
Total
512
535
554
654
tU7
683
722
651
647
608
539
546
611
648
172
HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES.
iniln r »/' ii'liitliiii/ ii .::•< In l>< luii;/ iiiy to tlie sereral JIOI-/K of l>n t'ni:cil .»>'«, Y.S-, .('-<• — Con! innril.
1854.
1855.
1856.
1857.
1858.
1859.
1860.
1861.
18G2.
18iH.
18G4.
1865.
1866.
1867.
5
5
4
2
2
3
3
9
1
2
2
2
2
*>
1
5
3
3
Cold Spring N. Y
7
7
5
5
5
4
4
9
2
3
6
9
1U
10
10
9
6
5
4
4
4
3
3
10
12
13
17
19
18
18
16
12
8
7
6
6
o
49
45
48
40
40
45
42
39
29
18
9
7
g
9
3
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
4
4
4
3
2
9
9
2
1
1
1
Greenport, N. Y .
10
10
11
9
7
4
2
1
4
4
5
4
2
2
-)
1
1
1
1
j
1
1
1
1
Itattapoisett, Mass
15
If.
15
18
19
19
19
18
9
5
3
2
9
11
7
0
5
4
4
9
47
4:.
1"
41
S8
34
18
13
1.1
10
7
•>
c
Xcw B.fllc.nl, Mass
::i-l
:ni
329
M4
316
301
291
260
L'l'i i
197
175
164
181
2
1
1
1
1
1
46
4.'.
44
54
51
45
36
•"I
Hi
13
1C
19
15
18
5
5
4
:i
3
2
XVw York, X. Y
1
Orleans, Mass
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
1
1
1
1
Provincetowu. Mass .
Sas Ilarbor. N. Y
87
20
]
18
19
1
20
16
1
22
18
28
20
1
26
20
1
26
19
1
;r,
17
i
28
11
30
9
1
25
6
1
23
8
[
33
8
4".
7
Sandwich, Mass
2
2
1
1
]
I
i
1
1
2
9
3
5
6
(}
5
4
3
3
o
2
Stmiinjiton, Conn
15
14
16
6
5
4
4
1
1
Warebara, Mass
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Warren, R. I ...
Wt'lltleet, Mass
17
1C
14
15
15
13
10
4
3
2
2
1
"Westport, Mass .
22
21
21
19
20
L'O
17
15
15
11
10
!)
9
Co'-'
131
6.'5
642
6:16
lit. 9
561
504
416
;}02
301
271
25S
307
] Mis.
1869.
1870.
1871.
1872.
is;:;.
1874.
]K7,-,.
187C.
1877.
1878.
1879.
1880.
1'" * <'l IV, M:I.SS
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
a
10
8
7
. 6
5 '
4
<j
7
3
3
3
3
9
7
7
6
4
3
1
9
2
3
6
13
12
XI
g
6
1
1
1
4
6
5
9
3
3
NaDtncket, Mass
7
8
8
6
3
1
1*1
178
176
176
143
113
XuAvburyport, Mass
3
3
3
New London, Conn
14
15
15
14
10
10
9
_
Xi-w York, N. T
2
5
5
3
9
53
54
49
97
16
San Harbor, N.Y.
7
5
4
3
2
2
1
1
Salem, Masa
4
4
3
3
1
5
Tisburv, Mass
1
1
1
1
"Wellfleet. Mass
1
1
1
10
10
9
9
Total
3°3
31!1
'
_
TIIM \VHALK FISHERY.
173
fi i mix i.liilislii'n iij' tin1 ii-lniliii:i Jlirl for 1880.*
Port.
Xumlirr
lit' Yi'SSi Is.
Tmina^i'.
Numlu't
of crew.
vessels.
Value of
outfit.
Q
, .
131
$34 000
20
l *i:;s "i"
331
68 800
2
17,'p ;ts
34
G 500
1 446 32
211
48 000
80 000
r
8G6.41
03
17 000
'i
408 3:t
...
h, MIHI
1
"'H r)0
,2
:;i "ics >:;
;; !20
M i)
,
98 ' i '
1 1 f
, •
Tut 1
171
::s i;;;:; :;s
I 1MX
) i in 3i ii
1,775,330
*Sinee Hie \ear 1SCO tlio fbct lias been meatl.v rcdnrcd. Aeeonling to an annual review of the \\halr Qsbcry, inililisbed by I. II. Bart-
li It A Si MI,, pf NY\\- r.idl'iird, I ho lie. t on .Taimaiy 1, 1M-5, numbered '.>:; *hi],s :md bail. H, I) Ini^s, and 114 sell -is, a;:uiei;atin;; ill,'-"" tuin.
The S.:n I'VaneiM-n lire! lias ineie:iM-il t" 17 M'ssels, this port liavhiL: benmie I be headquarters of must "f I In- Xurlli Pacific fleet. Slalislies
nl the Xni t h 1'aeilic llei t I r eai h \ ear sim e t hi' tie^iunini; of Hie lislie.lv ale .iiiven en iirei'etliny; pages.
'i'lic names and other details of each vessel in the fleet are jjiven in Section VI of this report.
The total capital invested in the whaling fleet, wharves, store-houses, and whale nil relinei ies in
1880, was $4,(»2J,(M».
Xlittniicitt xlioiriiii/ Ilif liiiiiiili/i- nf n-xsi'tii I'liqilniji'il in tin- 1'iii/ftl Xtn.ti* irini/r ji^/n ri/ I'ruin IT'.M 1» !•-- 1.
[Compiled I'lKin the Report of tbe Commissioner of Navigation for 1884. The years, eseeptiDg 1835 and KS43, wbic-b end September :;(i and
June 30, respectively, elose witb Deecmber :;l |
Vra
Tons.
Tear.
Tons.
Year.
Tons.
1794
4,129
is'jr.
;c. 1179
1856
1J-9 4111
179-,
3 103
i- ii
41 984
1857
195 842
1796
2 364
1827
45 992
1858
198 594
1797
1 104
1828
54 801
1859
185 728
1798
763
1829
r>7 ->.4
I860
1G6 841
1799
5 647
1830
39 705
1861
145 734
1800
3 466
1831
82 797
1862
11 
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